Beauty and the Beast HSM Style
by general wildcat
Summary: Beauty and the Beast with HSM characters. Follow the movie with different twists than you've seen before. Can the Beast fall for the girl and get her, too? The spell must be broken. Movie's technically rated G, but this story's rated T for safety.
1. Prologue

Ok this my my newest fanfic. I know I should probably finish at least one other one first, but I couldn't help it anymore. xD Anyway, I did so many Beauty and the Beast songfics that I wanted to do a story of it HSM style. So we're starting off with just the prologue and in a few days I'll get through typing up the first chapter. Basically what's going to happen with this story is that its the same idea as the movie but with some twists. You'll see what they are as the story goes on. So as far as the characters go, they'll be HSM characters of course, and replacing those in Beauty and the Beast. I did a lot of planning for which character would be who and I also got some help from , so thank you for the assistance, and I really hope this story turns out well. And if you know me, you know who the story will be about. 0=)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast, HSM, nor any of the characters from either film. Nor do I own any music from either movie either. xD

* * *

Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a prince who had all anyone could ever dream of. He was surrounded by his servants, he had riches, and his looks, but yet he remained selfish and uncaring. The world revolved around him and there wasn't a single other person that mattered.

Then, one night, an old woman walked up to the prince's castle. She asked him for shelter from the bitter cold. And in return, she would offer him a single rose. Disgusted by her offer as well as her horrid looks, the prince slammed the doors in her face and forced her away.

But much to his surprise, the old hag burst through the doors and transformed before his eyes into an enchantress. She placed a curse on the castle and everyone who lived within it. The exterior grew dark, grim, and bleak. Snow began covering the ground and everything surrounding the castle and everyone was trapped inside, as there was no escaping her curse now. She transformed everyone into simple household objects, becoming even more of servants than they once were.

And the prince had the worst of it. His looks began reflecting his harsh side and his cruel personality. For with the curse he became a beast.

The enchantress left behind the single rose, which topped off the curse. The rose would bloom for three years and then slowly began to wilt. The beast would have to break the curse before the rose withered away. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal fell from the rose then the spell would be broken. If not, then there would be no hope of changing back and they would remain under the curse forever.

But instead of searching out to find that one chance, the Beast locked himself away in the castle, refusing to come out. Trapped inside the walls as the rose slowly withered away and time began to run out. But to him it didn't matter.

For who could ever learn to love a Beast?

* * *

Ok so it wasn't a short chapter and I apologize for that. But there wasn't much to say here. xD So I'll make the next chapter longer, which hopefully you gathered by now. I'll try and get it up as soon as possible!


	2. Chapter 1

Wow, I didn't expect too many reviews for the prologue. XD I'm so happy people are excited. Boy when it's mentioned that one of Disney's most popular films is Beauty and the Beast, no one kids. lol Ok, that's all besides the point. So just so you know, some of the ages of the characters are gonna be a little different in this story than they actually are, which I'll explain at the end of each chapter they first appear (yeah, I'm really giving away something up here). So before I shut up here let me say thank you to the reviews for just the prologue and for people who already added this story. xD So thank you Corbinsbabygirl1, Rockyshadow, , Chaylorxtraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, and Digigirl02.  
Disclaimer: I don't even think I own the Beauty and the Beast movie...now I wanna go out and buy it...but it's still in the Disney vault, isn't it?

* * *

The sun shone brightly as it rose over the horizon on a small town in France. The sky brightened from a dark blue with faint tints of pink and orange to a brilliant sky blue shade, with barely any clouds in the sky. A gentle breeze blew and the windmill by a small farm. The front door opened and a young woman exited with a book at hand. Her shoulder length black hair was held back with a headband, nothing else holding it up. Her attire consisted of nothing but the simplest of outfits: a yellow sweater vest with a white shirt underneath along with a knee-length skirt in a plaid pattern consisting of yellow, white, and gold shades. The fabrics seemed to shine around her, as her skin was more of a deep cocoa and her brown eyes blended in perfectly. Her white low heels clicked against the ground faintly. And though they were covered in a bit of soil at the bottom, her eyes merely wandered around the village and the books in her arms close to her chest.

The village was less than a fourth of a mile away from her home, but even from standing at the front of it there was a perfectly good view. The town was that small, and in such a small community nothing could seem to take anyone by surprise. It was all too predictable. She began stepping closer to the town, her eyes taking in the scenery all around her upon leaving the small farm. And the closer that she got to the village, the more her mouth began opening as a soft melody escaped her lips.

_"Little town_

_It's a quiet village_

_Ev'ry day_

_Like the one before_

_Little town_

_Full of little people_

_Waking up to say..."_

And at that instant, windows and doors began bursting open. Numerous townsfolk poked their heads out with wide smiles to greet the day.

_"Bonjour!"_

_"Bonjour!"_

_"Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!"_

The girl smiled as the narrow roads began filling with people already off to their jobs. Not like it couldn't be seen coming, anyway. Everyone had their own work to do. It was necessary to be off hustling and bustling so early in the day.

_"There goes the baker with his tray, like always_

_The same old bread and rolls to sell_

_Ev'ry morning just the same_

_Since the morning that we came_

_To this poor provincial town"_

"Good morning Taylor!"

She turned her head to see the baker passing by, placing his rolls in the window of his shop. She didn't hesitate to step over to him. People in the little French town could be so generous sometimes. Other times...well let's just say some of them were a bit obnoxious.

"Good morning, sir." Taylor replied.

"Where are you off to today?" he asked, knowing she always had something planned. But of course, the answer was obvious.

"The book store. I just finished an amazing story. It's about a beanstalk and an ogre, which all starts when..." she eagerly began to explain. After all, as everyone seemed to know, books were Taylor's life. There was no way she could live without them. But unfortunately, most people did not see things the way she did.

"That's nice." the baker replied with a nod. He walked into his shop and called inside, "Lucile! Hurry with the baguettes!"

Taylor smiled and rolled her eyes, taking that as her cue to leave. But as she walked on down through the village, numerous people sent some glances her way. In a way Taylor was oblivious to it, but that happened to be sometimes she could lose track of reality so easily. After all, not only was reading exciting and a good escape, but it also could help develop writing skills and enhance one's vocabulary. However it didn't change anyone's opinions of her.

_"Look there she goes_

_That girl is strange, no question_

_Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?"_

_"Never part of any crowd_

_'Cause her head's stuck up on some cloud."_

_"No denying she's a funny girl, that Tay."_

Now people were beginning to mingle and go about the day's usual business. Simple conversation, buying food, cooking breakfast, and of course the typical worries for any people.

_"Bonjour."_

_"Good day."_

_"How is your fam'ly?"_

_"Bonjour."_

_"Good day."_

_"How is your wife?"_

_"I need six eggs!"_

_"That's too expensive!"_

Taylor spun around, hearing every little conversation going on as she walked by. There was it predictability once again.

_"There must be more than this provincial life"_

Upon arriving at the book store, Taylor opened the door and walked in. The bookkeeper offered a friendly smile as he took the book she handed over.

"Ah, Taylor." he greeted.

"Good morning." she replied. "This is the book that I borrowed."

He blinked in surprise. The girl was quick, he'll give her that. "Finished already?"

Taylor nodded and began looking through the shelves for a new one. "I couldn't put it down. Have you gotten anything new?"

He chuckled and placed the book back in its place. "Not since yesterday."

Taylor shrugged, still scanning the shelves. "That's alright. I'll borrow..." her eyes wandered before a minute before glistening as she found the perfect one. She took it off the shelf and handed it right over. "...this one!"

"Again?" he inquired. "But you've read it twice."

"But it's my favorite!" she exclaimed, already getting lost in the imaginary world. "Far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise..."

Now perhaps it was all a fantasy. Oddly enough, Taylor was alright with that. She had always tried to find a way to struggle stories with reality, finding a way to slip back and forth between both worlds easily. She was down to earth - when her head wasn't in a book, of course - but there was nothing wrong with finding an escape and find a way to feel better when things got down.

The bookkeeper just chuckled and handed the book back to her. "If you like it all that much, it's yours."

"But sir..." Taylor gasped even as he politely shooed her out.

"I insist." he replied.

"Well thank you. Thank you very much." she gushed as she exited the store. Less than three seconds later the book was opened and she was starting the first page, beginning to lose some contact with reality. Or at least enough to not notice that there were a few men watching her from the window and then acting like they were going about their daily business as soon as she was back outdoors. Then even they began opening their mouths to match the imaginary music.

_"Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar_

_I wonder if she's feeling well?"_

This was where balancing fantasy and reality became critical. Though her eyes were clearly on the page, Taylor seemed to be walking around town just fine. She wasn't bumping into any people walking by nor any walls, not to mention she hadn't tripped over a single banana peel when the garbage wagon passed by. More townsfolk watched her as they began staring in confusion.

_"With a dreamy far-off look_

_And her nose stuck in a book"_

_"What a puzzle to the rest of us is Tay."_

Taylor sat herself down on a fountain, already past the first few decent amount of pages in the book. Though she was the only one there, there happened to be a few birds flying by to use the fountain like their own giant bird bath. And they just so happened to somehow be looking over at the page of the book. That was the one downside to juggling the two worlds: when reality gave even the faintest hint of fantasy, such as now when birds were watching like they were really interested, it was hard to believe it even was reality. Taylor took notice of that and showed the illustration in the book, a good addition to assist the picture being painted in her mind, to the birds.

_"Oh, isn't this amazing?_

_It's my fav'rite part because...you'll see._

_Here's where she meets Prince Charming._

_But she won't discover that it's him till chapter three."_

She stood up from the fountain and began reading once again, feeling even more eager than usual to get to chapter three. But even then, people were watching her. Not just from the streets or as she walked by, but even from inside their own homes.

_"Now it's no wonder that her name means 'beauty'_

_Her looks have got no parallel."_

_"But behind that fair facade_

_I'm afraid she's rather odd._

_Very diff'rent from the rest of us..."_

_"She's nothing like the rest of us,_

_Yes diff'rent from the rest of us is Tay."_

Barely even across town now, a blond-haired woman exited a store. The door opened with a ring of the bell overhead and she gently slammed it behind her. Her locks were straight, barely leaving any bangs in her face, and her figure was nothing but curvaceous. A pink shrug rested over her white top and what looked like a sparkly pink skirt fit perfectly around her waist, almost too short even for short-shorts. Of course, with her high heels a few extra inches were added to her height. Her eyes sparkled as she struck a pose.

"Wow, you don't miss a step, Sharpay!" a male of close to the same height exclaimed. Though his short hair seemed stuffed under a blue and white striped newsboy hat, in the right light it was easy to tell that his locks were just as blond as the girls. And with their eyes identical in shade and their skin tone both a simple white, it was fairly obvious that they were brother and sister. Twins, to be more precise. But even more obvious was who was in control. And while Sharpay's looks were nothing less than flashy, the male's were much more subtle yet stylish. It was a simple white collared t-shirt with a royal blue imprinted "R" in script print in one of the corners, along with navy blue pants and black shoes and a pair of sunglasses hanging from his shirt collar.

"You're the greatest model around." he continued.

Sharpay shrugged with her award-winning pearly smile. "I know."

"And no guy could ever say no to you." he added. "No girls stands a chance against you, either."

"It's true." she replied. Then she grabbed him by the wrist and pointed him in the direction of a passing-by Taylor. "But I've got my eye on that one."

"The crazy man's sister?" he blinked.

"She's the one, Ryan. The one who's butt I'm going to kick." Sharpay said, sure of herself.

Ryan, on the other hand, seemed a bit unsure. "But she's-"

"Assumed to be the best in town?" she folded her arms as she let go of her brother, though her eyes still sending a piercing glare towards Taylor.

"Well, actually-" he started.

"That makes her my competition." she interrupted again. "And I'm gonna take her down."

"Well of course you are." Ryan admitted, being the supportive brother that he was. "But-"

And once again Sharpay didn't give him the chance to continue. Now it was her turn to join in on the song.

_"Right from the moment when I met her, saw her_

_I said she's gorgeous and I snapped._

_Here in town there is only she_

_who has a chance against me._

_So I'm making plans to grab and destroy Tay."_

Adjusting her top a bit, Sharpay began strutting her way over, following what she called her competition. Ryan followed right behind her, of course. And with his own charming smile and subtle personality it made girls fawn over him.

_"Look there they go_

_Isn't he cute?_

_Monsieur Ryan!"_

And Sharpay appeared all innocent herself even as she passed by some men. Their mouths dropped and they automatically kept their eyes on her.

_"Oh she's such a darling!_

_Be still my heart,_

_I'm hardly breathing!_

_She's so pretty, confident, and charming."_

They began walking through the crowds as the hustle and bustle began growing stronger. People were moving faster, acting as though they were in more of a rush. It was later now, so there was much more to take care of. There were issues to handle, problems to take care of, more daily conversing to be made.

_"Bonjour!"_

_"Pardon."_

_"Good day."_

_"Mais oui!"_

_"You call this bacon?"_

_"What lovely grapes!"_

_"Some cheese?"_

_"Ten yards!"_

_"One pound!"_

_"'Scuse me!"_

_"I'll get the knife."_

"Hey, excuse me..." Sharpay said, trying to keep her little act up. "I'm trying to get through..."

But even that didn't seem to stop all the commotion between the folks.

_"This bread-"_

_"Those fish-"_

_"It's stale!"_

_"They smell!"_

_"Madame's mistaken."_

Taylor finally picked her head up from her book and spun around a nearby lamppost, though there was still that faint array of obliviousness to those watching her and Sharpay trying to catch up with her.

_"There must be more than this provincial life!"_

Sharpay stood in the middle of the crowd, most confidently. She did a hair flip ever so elegantly, making sure her voice was heard so she could get through.

_"Just watch, I'm going to make Taylor pay!"_

The townsfolk jumped in front of her again, as though they were practically dancing to the song. They watched as Taylor continued on her way, even though Sharpay was finding her own way out of the mob. They noticed Taylor leave the crowd and be on her way, but even then they wouldn't stop singing. As they did so, Sharpay found a way around there to take Taylor by surprise and jump in front of her. And as the morning drew to a close, so did the song of the villagers.

_"Look there she goes, a girl who's strange but special._

_A most peculiar mad'moiselle._

_It's a pity and a sin_

_She doesn't quite fit in._

_'Cause she really is a funny girl,_

_A beauty but a funny girl,_

_She really is a funny girl,_

_That Tay!"_

Finally, Taylor's head was brought up completely from the pages. There was no way there's be any singing around town...especially this early. But as soon as she turned her head to look at everyone behind her, it was as though nothing had happened. They were already back onto their daily business. Maybe she was reading for too long. But then again, there was nothing wrong with extensive reading. She merely shrugged and continued walking, her eyes falling back onto the printed pages.

"Good morning Taylor." Sharpay greeted from seemingly out of nowhere. She had her innocent face on at first, most likely a part of her little act. People have heard about it but they rarely saw it for themselves. Supposedly acting all sweet was just a way to let everyone's guard down so she could then walk all over them. Hilarious, they'd say. And they always did.

"Bonjour, Sharpay." Taylor replied as she walked by. But she didn't get very far, as Sharpay quickly snatched the book from Taylor. After all, just because the girl was mainly looks didn't mean her reflexes were all slow. She cocked an eyebrow as she flipped through the pages. And although the words were simple and her own language, Sharpay was still reading them like they were Chinese.

Taylor sighed and turned to Sharpay. "May I please have my book back?" she asked politely.

"Why would you even waste your time reading this junk?" Sharpay questioned. "It's not even French. Or English, for that matter. It's completely from the opposite side of the galaxy."

"It's easier to understand the words if you were to actually read something once in a while." Taylor stated simply.

"Still seems like garbage to me." Sharpay shrugged, throwing it behind her, causing it to land in a puddle of mud. "And you know Taylor, there really are more things you should be focused on. Like the looks those men give you around here." That also implied, 'like the looks they should be giving me', though the words had not escaped Sharpay's mouth.

"Why be concerned with looks from them?" Taylor inquired as she scooped up her book from the filth and began brushing some of the mud off of it.

"Oh please, are you that dazed?" she rolled her eyes. Even she could see a group of men watching them right now. "Besides if you're gonna spend all your time doing something useless you might as well move to some book-loving town where they clearly have no lives."

"You mean like her brother?" Ryan inquired as he finally made his way over.

Sharpay started giggling. "Oh yeah. He really thinks he can invent something." she laughed. The guy had looks, Sharpay would possibly admit, but he was pretty much dubbed the crazy man around town.

"Yeah, he is pretty crazy." Ryan chuckled.

"Don't talk about my brother that way." Taylor gasped. "He's not crazy, he's creative. And he's going to become famous for his work one day."

"And you believe that garbage?" Sharpay continued laughing. "I wouldn't be surprised if he blew this town up and got run out by an angry mob."

"He would never do that. He's much smarter than any of you give him credit for." Taylor said firmly, folding her arms. Ok, so maybe there were times when she could be dazed. But that didn't mean she didn't know her own family. Taylor knew her brother had talent and nothing was going to change that, no matter what everyone else saw in him. And she was certain that even though there were times when he could be a bit over his head, he would never do anything dangerous or end up blowing a the town - or their house - up.

And yet, at that moment, a faint explosion escaped the farm. Taylor's eyes widened as she spun in the direction. "Oh no, not again." she sighed. "I've got to get home!" Not even wasting another minute, Taylor grasped her book and ran as far as she could out of the town and back home.

Sharpay and Ryan just continued laughing. It was so priceless how even someone with such brilliance could be so naive at times. It really was quite impossible, actually. But then, Ryan stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow from confusion.

"Wait, who were we singing about, again?" he asked. "And who's name means 'beauty'?"

Sharpay hit her forehead. "It's called using a middle name against someone, Ry." she informed him. And yet, because Taylor's middle name happened to be such a quality, it seemed not to have any effect on her. If anything would, it would deal with her head always in the books. Sharpay folded her arms and raised an eyebrow as she looked at the men nearby. Their eyes had been on Taylor the whole time as she left, and as soon as she was completely out of sight they were back on their daily routines. Sharpay scoffed. They should be watching her like that, not some bookworm.

"Ryan, we are going to find a way to take that freak off the market, folding her arms."

"And how are we gonna do that?" Ryan inquired.

A sly smile came across Sharpay's face. She slowly turned her head to face her brother, as though the perfect idea had just came to mind. "Oh, I think I have a faint idea Ryan." she smirked. "As a matter of fact, I think I have the perfect plan."

* * *

Ok so there was the first song in there and the first unexpected twist of the movie. Now for all you T&T fans (if I'm not used to combining Chad's and taylor's names together I'm not gonna be able to combine hers and Troy's names either XD), sorry that the Gaston/suitor is not portrayed as Troy. I originally had him that way, but I also had some help rearranging the characters so they could work out better. And really, do you wanna see Troy out to murder who's technically his best friend? Wow...that just put such a bad image in my head. o_0 Anyway, the song has been changed with a few certain parts which was really hard (I do not own the song either nor is any copyright infringement intended if I didn't say it yet, and I mean that for every song), so just wanna quickly say thanks to for putting up with me trying to fix the lyrics and helping out. XD As for these characters' ages figure them to be around their late teens, or early twenty's. The next chapter will be up ASAP!


	3. Chapter 2

Alright, so it looks like the first chapter went over pretty well. I'm very happy about that. Note the following smiley face: =3 Anyway I may be slow with updates on the story, at least this week, because I know I'm gonna have a ton of homework (mainly art and writing and let's be honest, art takes a long time to work on), not to mention actual work. So I'll try and update in between everything. But as for this chapter, meet the next character. I'm sure you'll all recognize...this person. Well if I say if it's a he or a she it'll give it away. o_0 So now, just a thanks for everyone who reviewed the first chapter (not the prologue cause it's not long enough to be a chapter, it takes less than two minutes to read, bu that's juts my opinion): , Rockyshadow, Corbinsbabygrl1, RamandusDaughter23, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, MermaidRam85, xXMXx, and Digigirl02.  
Disclaimer: I don't even think I own the Beauty and the Beast movie...now I wanna go out and buy it...but it's still in the Disney vault, isn't it?

* * *

The run back to the farm from the town was fairly quick. There wasn't as much of a crowd around town as there was while Taylor had been walking around nor did anyone seem to get in her way. Actually, she wasn't even the least bit distracted by her book. Upon arriving on the grounds, Taylor nearly frantically scanned the premises for her brother, though she shouldn't be surprised of the faint explosion; it happened at least thrice a week. Still, that didn't stop her from worrying. Her brother was responsible and all but sometimes he just got a little carried away.

Then, spotting some spoke escaping the crack in the basement door, she ran and opened it. Hint number two of what he had been up to. So despite her coughing and the fumes making their way into her lungs, Taylor wasn't caught off guard; it was merely something she was quite used to. The smoke began to fade and the basement became a bit more visible...it was cramped, as usual. Boxes laying all over, numerous piles of junk on the floor, not to mention it covered in a lot of dust.... What had he been up to this time, exactly?

"Troy?" she asked, trying to see him through the smoke. "Troy are you here?"

At that instant, a paler young man of around the same age as Taylor, or perhaps a few years older, rolled out from under the smoke. A few shaggy brunette bangs fell in front of his face, though it didn't prevent anyone, now or ever, from seeing his signature blue eyes. As for his attire, also considering he had just made a bit of a mess, his blue jeans were stained in oil or perhaps some other dark liquid substance and his sky blue shirt was very much dirtied.

Taylor knelt down as she tried to help him up. She moved some bangs out of her face once Troy was standing up. "Troy are you alright?"

"Three words: stupid invention." Was his response.

"That's two words, Troy." she informed him politely. "'Invention' is three syllables."

"You know I get a little scatterbrained after working for too long." Troy sighed. "I've been up since six a.m. Well...ok, I took a break for breakfast so I guess I was technically only working half the morning this time."

"Well you have been working an awful lot lately." she observed. "And from the looks of it, too much for your own good. Have you ever thought about doing something different?"

"Of course not! If I can ever make a decent invention do you know what that means for us?" Troy asked. "We can get off this farm. Find a better life. No more raising chickens and growing peaches for a living."

"We grow corn, Troy." she corrected.

"My point exactly." he waved a finger. "But that's never gonna happen if I can't get my so-called invention to do anything! It's a fraud, a frig, a waste of time! It'll never even win third prize at that convention this weekend!"

Taylor couldn't help but playfully roll her eyes at Troy. While they were close, sometimes he just seemed a little _too _scatterbrained. He was a bright boy in his prime but Troy spent so much time doing things that didn't seem worth his while. But no one else in town seemed to understand. He and Taylor were the only family each other had left. So of course he wanted something better for the both of them. Taylor naturally understood, but had confronted him so many times about taking his life elsewhere. Maybe find another form of work or settle down with someone. Anything but waste his time with what at points seemed like useless inventions. Not that they all weren't worth it, of course, but it still wasn't Troy's best line of work. Even now he was putting down his work as he couldn't get it to work just right. He called it the "catapult". It was mainly made of wood, and while it read on a large evenly structured table the upper half of it resembled a spoon. A ball sat inside that spoon and Troy claimed that once a lever on the other side of the device was pulled the catapult would release the ball and it'd fly through the air. Supposedly it would be used to help kids enhance their speed and reflexes by chasing after the ball and catching it. Troy proclaimed the toy a "basketball". Unfortunately, that was one of the main reasons why he was dubbed as crazy. All of his inventions had to incorporate a toy somehow, preferable a ball. "Basketballs", "baseballs", "golf balls", etc, Troy used them all.

But Taylor knew so much better than to put her brother down. As a matter of fact, she never seemed to have the heart to. Not to her family. To rivals or enemies such as Sharpay, however, that was a different story.

"You say that about every idea of yours. You'll do great and you know it." she said.

Troy sighed. "Tay I've been feeding you that 'I'm the best at everything I do' speech since we were ten. You actually believed me?"

"Well...all except for the cooking." Taylor replied with a giggle.

Troy smiled and rolled his eyes, but turned his head away from her nonetheless.

"Come on Troy," she encouraged, "I know you can do anything. You're the greatest inventor in the world."

Troy couldn't help but smile. It slowly spread across his face as he turned his head back to Taylor. He chuckled slightly, as though he were making complete sure of her compliment.

"So you seriously believe that?" he asked.

"I always have." she answered with a warm smile.

Troy laughed and clapped his hands together. "Well why didn't you say so? We got a lot of work to do!" He ran back to work on his catapult. "Bring me over that whatcyamabobit that hooks and spins onto something over there."

Taylor's warm smile turned into a coy one as soon as Troy wasn't looking. She knew that would work. She'd been buttering him up like that since they were young; it did its job like a charm. Tucking her book back under her arm now, she walked over to Troy's toolbox and pulled out the wrench. Troy had names for everything, after all. She'd spent long enough to learn his way with words. It wasn't like anyone else could learn his own bit of language, anyway. It was something Taylor had pride in herself for. Though once in a while she would still tease him about scaring off a girl with his confusing terms. Troy would just laugh and say a girl would be more likely to find it attractive. Then Taylor would laugh at that, saying she'd still love him even if no other girl did. But hey, what else were little sisters for?

Still, she couldn't help but be bothered by something. "Hey Troy?" she inquired as she handed him the wrench. "Do you ever think that I'm odd?"

"Odd?" he repeated, confused. He picked up his head from his contraption and looked at her. "What would ever give you an idea like that?"

Taylor held in a giggle. This was coming from the guy whose hair had become so messy that it was sticking up like a mad scientist's. Yes, Taylor wondered where anyone could get such an idea of her oddness with Troy around....

"Oh, just a thought." she shrugged. "But there has been a bit of talk around town...I just question in certain situations whether I really fit in around here or not."

"You look like you fit in there pretty well to me." Troy shrugged, ever so oblivious. Well, in most cases anyway. "Besides you've got friends around there. Don't you talk with Sharlene and Ryson?"

Taylor giggled. He really didn't get out much these days did he? But really, if Sharpay didn't see Troy as crazy and found out he called her a different name...well, she'd be fairly ticked to say the least. Ryan, on the other hand...he'd just get confused as to who they were talking about.

"Sharpay and Ryan." Taylor corrected with another slight giggle. "And they're not friends of mine. If anything, Ryan's an acquaintance and Sharpay's out to get me."

"Why would she ever do that?" Troy asked. "Tay if that girl ever lays so much as a hand on you-"

"I'm a big girl Troy. I can take care of myself." She cut him off simply. "Whether you want to realize it or not."

Troy sighed. His sister had the brains - he'll admit to that. But he was still older than her so he had a certain protective side to him. Troy knew very well that when the going got tough Taylor got tough. Good luck trying to stop him from ever worrying over that. But Troy could get tough too, though. Whether Taylor needed his help or not he'd do his toughening up and watch out for her.

"I know Tay." he admitted with a sigh. "But I just can't stand by and watch something happen to my baby sister."

"I'm not a baby, Troy. Not anymore." she shook her head. "But one day you are going to have to let me go. And I've love to have your support through it."

"You've got it." Troy agreed, nodding his wrench. Not like he needed any time to think on that one, anyway. "But I don't see how I'm ever gonna make it around here without you." He made a few last adjustments on his catapult as he continued speaking. "Besides, who else would keep me company around here?"

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Troy tapped the wrench on his chin, something he often did when he was thinking. "You know what, forget I ever asked." he decided before finishing with one last screw. "Well...guess that should do it."

"Pull the lever, Troy." Taylor said.

"I don't know," Troy paused, "maybe I should try one more last adjustment..."

"Stop questioning yourself and pull that lever Troy!" she urged.

Without wasting another second Troy grabbed the lever on the catapult and pulled it down. The spoon of the device pulled back just a little each second until it leaned back all the way, then popping up at an exact ninety degree angle, letting the ball in its grasp soar across the basement and right out the doors. Taylor's eyes widened and a huge smile spread across her face. Troy seemed in much more disbelief before a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"It works..." he said to himself, admiring the distance that toy must have flown. "It works.... It works!" He cheered loudly, beginning to jump up and down. "Taylor, my invention works!"

Taylor laughed and hugged her brother. "See Troy? I told you, you could do it." she congratulated him.

"You know what this means now!" Troy exclaimed. "Off to that convention! First prize might as well be as good as ours! Good-bye little farm, hello life of luxury!"

So the next day Troy was all packed up and ready to head off to the invention convention. He attatched a small wagon with his catapult on it to their Shetland horse and set everything up from the saddle to the reigns. The catapult was safe and secure, with a minor cloth covering most of it to protect it from rain and whatnot. Supposedly it wouldn't be a long trip, so Troy made sure to bring a small backpack with some consisting of food and a small bottle of water just in case, along with a map tucked under his arm.

"We won't be gone long, Tay." he said that morning. "Just for the weekend and then I'll bring home that prize."

"You're going to do fine, Troy." she reassured him. "I'll look after everything here."

"Alright." Troy agreed. "I'll get there and back in one piece. Jimmie will make sure of that." he added, patting the horse on his behind...which freaked the creature out just a bit."Whoa whoa Jimmie, whoa..." Troy gasped, quickly grabbing the reigns and calming his companion down.

Taylor laughed. "Pace yourself, Troy. Don't rush there or you'll get lost and scare the poor thing."

"Don't worry Tay. We'll be back home before you know it. Be a good girl and wait up for me." Troy replied.

"I will." Taylor nodded, hugging him. "Good luck."

"Thanks sis." Troy replied, hugging her back. They pulled away and Troy jumped onto the horse. "See you in a few days!" he called as he rode away, waving one last good-bye.

"Bye Troy!" she called back. "And be careful!"

"We will." Troy promised.

So Troy rode off on Jimmie into the distance and it wasn't long before the two of them were out of sight. The first portion of the ride was in a fairly straight path, and Troy took out the map as soon as he knew they needed it. Now it was just a matter of getting there. And with him in the saddle, absolutely nothing could go wrong.

At least, he thought so.

* * *

So that be the relationship between Troy and Taylor. Some brother and sister moments in this chapter and more of an insight to their characters. As you can see,most of their personalities remain the same in this story like it does in the movies. For example, Troy's love of balls (hint of the basketball) and him having a leadership role. you will see a bit more to his character in the next chapter, as I'm sure you know what's coming next. I had most of this written the two nights I was working and then typed the last portion right off the spot so I really hope it turned out well. I might have to wait a couple of days before updating again, so I will try and make the next chapter as great as it can be. And don't worry - I'm already thinking of more ideas as ew get further into the story. All about the suspense guys, all about the suspense. 0=) Ok, maybe about the music sometimes, too. XD


	4. Chapter 3

Well, I'm really happy with the results of the second chapter. People approve of the Troy and Taylor brother and sister relationship. ^^ So if you've seen the movie you know which scene is being typed up in this chapter. Time to introduce more characters. It's going to get harder with each one, I'm afraid. Or maybe it's easier. I'm not sure. o_0 But I really wanna get through a couple more chapters so we can get to the next song. Which actually, no changes need to be made to. XD Ok you've had enough of my talking, I can tell. So quick thanks to the latest reviews: , Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Corbinsbabygrl1, Rockyshadow, and Digigirl02.  
Disclaimer: I'm not sure which one I'd wanna own anymore now. DX

* * *

Troy struggled to look up and down between the road and the map. They had been fine with traveling to the convention all day, him and Jimmie. The day had been warm and bright, the trail was clear, and there wasn't a sign of danger anywhere. It was such a peaceful journey, one would assume they'd be at the convention in no time. The road was soft with silt and a gentle breeze blew through the air. It seemed like a perfectly straight path with few twists and turns along the way. The only time Troy really seemed to have to struggle with the map and watching the road was when there was a fork and they had to decide between paths. But somehow one of the wrong turns was taken. Everything changed so quickly and it seemed right away as though there were no turning back. The road became more winding and rocky; Jimmie's hooves pounded against them loudly even as his step became more cautious. The gentle breeze became more chilly and it sent an eerie feeling through the creature's body. The sky grew dark yet there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The trees lost all their color and they began looking like shadows from a horror movie. It was at that time that Troy became even more entranced with the map, trying to find the right way to go. Jimmie, on the other hand, began moving much more slowly. He certainly didn't like where they were going and even for a horse he doubted that they were going the right way. But really, who ever listens to a horse?

Upon arriving at another fork in the road, Troy looked at all the signs carefully. He tried making out what they said but the writing was nothing more than scribbles and chicken scratch. Five arrows pointing in practically the same directions and he couldn't read a single one. His blue eyes fell on the map again, trying to figure out where they were. Something didn't seem right. Did they take a wrong turn already? No, that couldn't be possible. Not with Troy in the driver's seat - or in this case, horse's saddle.

But before Troy could even begin to guide Jimmie in one direction, Jimmie had already looked at the two clearest paths. One was pretty much the same as where they were now except for what looked like a much lighter fog. The second path became darker and looked even more dangerous. Jimmie certainly didn't like that. If he was the kind of horse that liked adventure and was happy to stall for time then sure, maybe he'd be happy to take the creepy path. However there was a time constraint on them. Even Jimmie knew they had to get to the convention. And with Troy on his back and a wagon right behind him with Troy's invention Jimmie certainly didn't want to drag out the ride longer than it needed to be. It was getting tiring enough lugging over a hundred fifty pounds with him. Or was it over two hundred fifty? Either way, he was a horse and incapable of counting. However that didn't change his judgment. The Shetland began taking a few steps in the direction of the clearer path.

"Wait Jimmie, let's go this way." Troy said, pointing the lantern he held in the same hand as the reigns in the other direction. Even with such a small bulb contained beside them, that path didn't look any less creepy. Jimmie took one look in that direction, then tried leading Troy the other way. "Hey Jimmie, whoa." Troy replied, tugging on the reigns. "Don't act so worried. The creepy path is always the shortcut."

It took just a bit more of encouragement...and force...but eventually they were on the path. Jimmie's step slowed even more and Troy's eyes became more and more fixed on the map. He didn't see where they were anywhere. All he could register in his mind, especially so late at night, was creepy forest. And even Troy knew they should have been at, if not almost at, the convention hours ago. Something just didn't feel right. And he wasn't thinking of the owls in their trees who were watching them make their every move. But it would explain why Troy kept feeling as though they were being watched.

"Wait a minute...this can't be right." Troy said slowly, picking his head up from the map and taking another look around. "Where did you take us to this time, Jimmie?"

Oh sure, blame it on the horse. Never the driver, always the horse. But even if Jimmie weren't a horse he knew this wasn't the time to argue. He stopped where he was and looked around in horror. The owls were just staring him down with their big yellow eyes and sitting on their branches like statues. The very second they moved a centimeter Jimmie became frightened. But when the night birds suddenly took off from their trees and began flying, flapping their wings all around, it was too much for the horse. He let out a cry and began running off in any direction he could see.

"Jimmie, whoa! Steady boy!" Troy gasped, attempting to calm his companion down. "Where are we going now Jimmie? Slow down, you're going too fast!"

But Jimmie wasn't listening. And once the horse was spooked there wasn't much stopping him. He just wanted to get away. He continued running on the rocky road, only to stop dead in his tracks. He slid for a moment before making it to his screeching halt. Another step and he would have taken them right off a cliff. It was so high up and it looked so dark at the bottom...assuming there was a bottom. Now Jimmie became even more scared. He neighed once more and got up on his hind legs, kicking his front ones all around. Troy tried to maintain his grip on the reigns but it was no good. He lost his balance and collapsed off his horse and onto the cold ground. And as soon as Jimmie was back down on all four's all it took was the sound of Troy's lantern crashing against the ground and breaking into numerous pieces to scare him off. Jimmie took off in the direction that they came from, the only remaining part of him left behind with Troy being his saddle which was loosened and fell off with Troy. The last thing Troy heard before sitting up was the echoes of Jimmie's hooves and the wagon racing off into the distance, becoming quieter with every move until they were out of sight and silence filled the night.

Troy adjusted his hat, which he had taken along to protect him from sunburns, and looked around. His map was torn against the ground now and his lantern was out and shattered. Only the darkness and eerie forest surrounded him now. "Jimmie?" he asked, hoping his call would bring the horse back to him. But there was no response; only more silence. "Jimmie?" he asked again. Yet there was still nothing. Troy was stranded. He was on his own. Fixing his jacket, Troy stood up and looked around, taking in the scenery for a long moment. Why hadn't he noticed this before? It was so dark and...and creepy. There were no other words to describe it. Perhaps ghost forest, but nothing else. When Troy had a travel partner, even if it was just Jimmie, there was no need to feel alone. Any companion was good enough for him. But now there was no one and Troy was left to fend for himself. He never had to do that before. Even back home he always had Taylor helping him with something. But now he had no one. He had nothing. Troy let out a sigh of regret at the thought as he began to ponder his next move.

But it didn't last too long. A faint yet sharp growl caught his attention. Troy blinked and looked in a few different directions to try and decipher the animal it was coming from. All he saw were more owls, but obviously they didn't growl. What birds did growl anyway? Not that Troy even had any time to think; a few feet above his head, on what looked like a higher ridge to the cliff, a four legged shadow appeared. Odds were that was where the growl had emerged from. Troy remained where he was for a minute, still trying to figure out what animal it was. But then a few more shadows like it appeared. From what Troy could tell their bodies were long and ready, their ears pointy, and their tails gently swaying back and forth. Then he knew what was going on. They were getting ready to attack, pounce on their pray. And the second Troy took a step and began running, the animals didn't hesitate to move and began chasing after him. Growls escaped each one of them, making Troy almost too scared to look back and see what creature's attention he had caught. But he had to look, to see how far ahead of them he was. Turning his head as he ran, he finally recognized the predators as wolves. Their fur was in multiple shades of gray and each hair seemed to stand up as their giant paws pounded against the ground. Their eyes were equally as piercing blue as Troy's, but they held so much more. Anger. Hatred. Hunger. Then his eyes were directed to their teeth. They were yellow and sharp. It was that plain and simple. And what else was plain and simple was what they would do to Troy as soon as they caught him. Troy could have played dead; even he knew that if something was lifeless then wild animals would quickly lose interest and leave them. But Troy hadn't thought of that at the time he needed to most, and he feared that it would lead to his demise.

Troy's head shifted forward again. In the distance, what didn't look too far away, he could see a large fence. And using his real logic rather than his inventing logic, Troy figured that where there was a fence there was a house. Houses had people. People had food. People had shelter. People had ways of contact. And most importantly, people had bathrooms. Not even taking another second to register much else, Troy ran in the direction of the supposed house. The wolves sounded as though they were ganging up on him so he had to try and speed up his step. Troy was a naturally athletic figure so it wasn't too hard for him to run fast. The only issue in that was trying to be faster than the wolves. And they were just as quick in their step as Troy was.

It wasn't too much further now. Troy could see the fence perfectly. It was tall, probably close to ten feet high. The bars looked iron and they were pitch black in color. The closer he got, the easier it was to see that some of the bars looked a bit rusty. But as long as it would keep the wolves away Troy didn't care. He slid down a hill to get only a few feet away from it. The wolves were right behind him, standing on the hilltop to register his every move. And they knew that he'd be looking for safety. They always did and they always ran. And if their prey didn't find the protection they needed they were surely caught. From the wolves' sturdy and fit figures it certainly seemed like they caught their fair share of food. Not wasting another second, then raced down the hill to their cornered rat.

Troy could see them getting closer. If he couldn't get inside fast then it was all over. He began frantically shaking the bars. "Help! Let me in! Please let me in!" he gasped, praying that someone could hear him. With another look back, he figured in a few more steps the wolves would be eating him alive. Troy gulped and shivered at the thought, then quickly turned back to the fence. "Help...please help!" he begged once more, shaking the bars even harder this time. Somehow the lock on the fence loosened and Troy tumbled right into the yard. He fell back onto the ground and looked up to see the animals right on top of him. Lifting his foot, just in the nick of time, he slammed the fence shut. The wolves ran right into it, gnawing and clawing at the bars as they tried to break through. But only their paws could fit through the slim space of the barred fence. There was no way they could get Troy now. The man slowly made it back to his feet, though a bit off his balance after all that running, not to mention the scare of his life. His hat fell off his head and onto the ground as he slowly stepped towards the house.

But that's when he discovered that this place was the farthest thing from a house. The structure was tall. So tall it could reach up into the sky. With its pointy structure, its wide space, and the multiple use of towers Troy determined it to be a castle. But it wasn't an inviting castle like the ones they had in England, or so he heard. Or maybe it was that America place or something. Either way, it was just as creepy as the rest of the forest. The wooden doors up front were huge and the material used to make the castle looked like something hard and sturdy. Steel, maybe? Bricks? But the entire place was black in shade so whatever material it was made out of it had to have been painted over. Troy slowly scanned every inch of the castle he could see until he saw the top. It was so high in the sky it had to have been well over a hundred feet. And as his eyes fell on the sky he could see how gray and cloudy it became. The fog faded and was replaced with bulgy dark clouds. Thunder boomed and lightning struck the blackness. Seconds later wet droplets of rain began falling from the sky. Briefly gentle at first and then quickly pouring like a storm. Gathering his jacket closer to him to keep warm, Troy slowly made his way to the doors in the cold rain. He reached out for the knocker with one hand, gripping his jacket tightly with his free one.

"Hello? Help me, please. I'd like to get in for the night..."

The door opened somehow and Troy nearly fell right in. He didn't think anything of it right away; he just assumed it was someone who had heard him and unlocked the door for him. Not seeing anyone right away, Troy stood up again and forced the door closed against the rain. He leaned up against the wood for a moment and looked around. The space inside the castle was empty, except for a few decors like tables and whatnot. The staircase was wide and a thick carpet nearly covered every step. Even looking up the ceiling was so high. But someone had to have let him in, right? Doors just don't open on their own.

"I-is anyone home?" Troy stammered, taking a single step forward. "Hello?"

All else that was in the room with him were a candelabra and a miniature clock right near the door. The candelabra stood straight, its yellow-orange coating only brightened by the dim lights of fire coming from the wax holders on its arms and on the head. It was thin, almost half a foot or so high, at least it seemed, and its holders for the candles were thick. It stood firm with a circular bottom, weight evenly distributed on every side, and its head was just a little wider than its body, probably around a fourth's height of it.

Next to the candelabra was a simple indian red shaded clock. It was probably made out of some kind of wood or something. The head was round and all that was there to dictate the time were the hands and a single line for the twelve and six o'clock points. The body was a bit wider, perfectly crafted as a seemingly elegant piece, certain parts being framed in a faint gold shade. The feet at the bottom were thick yet looked like they could be perfectly used for walking. On the sides appeared to be a set of arms and hands, the same shade as the framing. And on the body was a glass opening with the pendulum inside swinging back and forth with each second.

Then, oddly enough, tiny almost invisible sets of eyes appeared on the two of them as they seemed to exchange glances.

"Don't say a word. Don't make a sound." the candelabra muttered almost inaudibly, its pitch and accent unable to be deciphered.

Not hearing or seeing anyone, Troy continued. "I don't mean to intrude but I lost my horse. I don't know where I am and it's pouring outside. I just need a place to stay for the night."

The look on the slowly appearing face on the candelabra seemed to soften. His arms holding the candles slowly loosened and fell, though the wax inside still was held in perfect place. "Did you hear that Jason? The poor man just needs a place to stay." it whispered. The accent was deep, almost in a French one, and from the tone of voice the candelabra sounded to be male.

Oval eyes appeared on the clock as it looked at the household item. A mouth emerged from the face and it put its hands on its 'hips'. It tone of voice wasn't as deep and it was nothing near like a French accent. But the clock was male all the same. "What? You were the one who just said not to do anything! You're gonna make him see us."

"But he's lost. He probably has nowhere else to go." the candelabra sighed.

The clock opened his mouth to protest, but then the candelabra projected his voice so Troy could hear him. "But of course you can stay, monsieur."

Troy's eyes widened upon hearing the voice. He grabbed the candelabra and used it as his light source to look around, assuming there was another person in the darkness of the room. "Who said that?" he asked.

"I did." he replied.

Troy turned his head to the right. "Who?"

"Me." he answered again.

Now Troy looked to the left. "Where?"

The candelabra just chuckled and politely tapped Troy on the head with his arm, careful not to touch him with the small yet burning flames, which caused Troy to look up at him. The object smiled and nodded his head, almost in a bow. "'Ello."

Troy gasped and dropped the candelabra right on the ground. "You...you...you just talked!"

"Now look what you did, Zeke! Our cover's blown." the clock complained as he jumped down to the floor and joined the candelabra. "And you always tell me to keep my cool."

"Calm yourself Jason." he replied. "You're just cranky because of the storm outside."

"Whoa...this is so sick." Troy gasped as he picked up the clock. "Where's the voice recorder on this thing?" He began searching all over it.

"Hey um...could you put me down please?" he asked. "I'm not comfortable with being...hehehe...with being....hehehe..." Troy began rubbing the clock's foot which in turn tickled him. And then Troy had to get touchy. He opened the glass window and began fiddling with the pendulum inside.

"Incredible..." Troy said to himself.

"Hey keep your hands off me!" the clock gasped, pushing Troy's hand away and causing him to fall back to the ground beside the candelabra. "There's a thing called personal space you know."

The candelabra just chuckled. "Don't mind him, monsieur. Please, let me offer you a welcome to our humble castle. I am Monsieur Baylor and this is my comrade Jason."

"You only say that cause it sounds Frenchier than Zeke." the clock replied. Then he blinked. "Wait...comrade? I thought I was turned into a clock?"

"Wait...what?" Troy asked, even more confused now.

Zeke moved on his bottom, jumping back up onto the table to get a better look at Troy. "You look a bit pale, monsieur. You should certainly spend the night here. You are more than welcome as long as you need to."

"Thank you. That would really...really..." Troy's voice got caught in his throat as he covered his mouth and let out a loud sneeze.

Zeke's face fell as he looked at Troy sympathetically. "You do not look so well, monsieur. Come, let us get you by the fireplace so you can warm up."

"Yes...yes of course..." Troy sniffled as he followed the object.

"Wait!" Jason gasped, running after them. "Wait, we really shouldn't be doing this! We could get in a lot of trouble. Zeke...Zeke I know I never listen to you cause something always happens and I get distracted..." Jason turned to the wall where he scrunched his face and saw an ant crawling around. "Eeh..." he stuck his tongue out, then shook his head as he got over the distraction, "...but I still don't think this is a good idea." He desperately tried to follow the two of them and catch up. "Hey...hey wait up! Don't leave me back here!" Jason gasped, still struggling to follow them. Upon arriving in the other room, Zeke let out a gasp of horror. "Oh no, not the master's chair!" He groaned as he saw Zeke and the coat hook assisting Troy into a rather comfortable, cushioned chair in front of the large fire place and resting a blanket around his now cold body. "We have to get him out of here now. We're breaking every law just by letting him take a step around. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to my stupid words of advice...? GAH!"

A cart rolled right over Jason and seemed to stop on its own right beside the chair. Jason fell face first onto the carpet, nearly flattened by the speed of the cart. Troy turned his head to the cart and saw a few different things on it. There was a cup of sugar, one of those little milk pouring thingys...yeah he never knew what they were called, he just knew that they looked like tall thin gravy holders with milk instead of gravy. Then there was a small teacup with a single chip on the edge of it. It was a light gray color with a khaki handle and purple decorated bottom. Beside it was the teapot, which was very similar to the teacup aside from being bigger, slightly wider, and a lighter gray. The cover and bottom both had the same purple decorations and the handle was pretty much the same shade of khaki. The teapot opened her mouth to speak, which was very much warm and inviting.

"How about a cup of tea to warm you up? You look like you could use it." she offered, pouring tea from her nozzle into the teacup beside her.

Troy smiled at the teapot's kindness. She was definitely the nicest one here so far; she didn't even sound much older than him. "Thanks." he replied as he picked up the teacup and took a single sip from it. Then, suddenly, the teacup started giggling.

"He tickles me, Gabby!" it started laughing, its voice high and squeaky though it sounded on the verge of deepening like puberty.

Troy gasped at hearing the voice and dropped the teacup right onto the floor. He only giggled and jumped right up, heading back up to the teapot.

"Oh don't mind Donny." the teapot said gently, referring to the giggling teacup now beside her. "He just gets a little excited sometimes."

"Oh that's perfectly..." Troy started, though he was interrupted by another sneeze. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little under the weather." He took a tissue to wipe his nose and then looked to see a footstool running towards him, barking like a dog. Which side was the head and which one was the back? It all looked the same. "Um...hey there boy...." Troy said almost a bit uneasily as he rubbed the footstool's head...at least he hoped he was. The footstool just barked happily and squeezed itself under Troy's feet so he could rest.

"That's Boi." Donny said. "He really knows how to get you off your feet."

"Well, so he does." Troy chuckled. These little guys were actually really nice...even if they were just clocks or pots. For a bunch of talking inanimate objects in a dark spooky castle in the middle of the dark creepy forest during a loud dangerous storm they didn't seem like anything to worry about. As a matter of fact, they made the place almost seem...peaceful.

But the peace didn't last long. The doors where they had entered into the room burst open and the lights suddenly went out. A powerful, chilly wind blew through and Zeke's candles were put out in an instant. The once burning flames in the fireplace were suddenly gone and the logs to fuel them were as cold as they could get. Zeke held his arms out in front of him, afraid of what was coming. Gabriella held her place on the cart and let Donny duck behind her, knowing he might easily be freaked out by the sudden darkness and what was about to happen. Jason climbed onto the lowest shelf of the nearby bookcase and tried hiding behind one of the books despite the fact that he couldn't even fit half of his body behind their thin structures. Troy began shivering, having the sudden vibe that he should be fearing for his life. He was too afraid to turn around and see who - or what - was standing in the doorway. all he knew for sure, and call it an instinct, was that right behind the chair was a tall scary shadow. No tricks, no pranks, no anything. A real scary shadow of what could even be a monster. That was the only way to describe it. And one thing was for certain, the eyes belonging to that shadow were most certainly on Troy.

Within the now dark door stood a creature on all four's. It was highlighted by a powerful silhouette only making it more fearful and striking. Fur stood up on the body much like it had on the wolves before they were ready to attack Troy outside. The fur was mainly curls but they resembled nothing of the soft bouncy kind; the curls on this creature's fur was tangled and untamed. The two from legs were muscular and the paws were twice the size, maybe three times, of the wolves' paws. The hind legs were much skinner as though they were the main ones used to walk on as opposed to all four's. Claws appeared on every paw and they were as sharp as its fangs. And the fangs...they made the fangs of a shark look like nothing. Brown eyes pierced from the monster's hair face only to see what it saw as a mockery. Its nose was flat and black in color, and the snout was thin and short, perhaps with what was a bit disproportional to the rest of it. A pair of horns rested on the top of its head and underneath those were tiny sets of ears which were perhaps the second disproportional portion of the body.

It stepped cautiously into the room, much like it was getting ready for an attack. That was the aura this monster gave off. Upon a closer inspection as it began moving nearly on top of Troy, the monster was topless except for what looked like a cape or an old sweatshirt tied around its neck and floating in the cool air. Its hind legs from the waist down were only covered in a ripped pair of pants. Troy could only continue with his cowering in fear as the monster growled and hovered over him with such a height difference.

"Stranger here..." the monster hissed as it circled the chair.

"Master...sir...if you can just let me explain for a minute," Zeke started as calmly as he could, "the gentleman was lost in the woods and we just thought-"

But he was only interrupted by a frightening bellow from the monster, which blew out the candles Zeke had only just lit back on seconds ago.

Jason slowly poked his head out from behind the book he was attempting to hide behind. "Master, if I could just put this into the record book for a minute..." he started, "I mean it's not like I was for the idea or anything. He was the one who started tickling my foot..."

But he was only interrupted by an even more powerful bellow, an ear-screeching roar to be more precise, which caused Jason to jump back in cover.

Troy gulped and continued shivering. He could never remember being this scared. While he was still a bit cold from the weather outside and hadn't completely warmed up, the mere sound of the creature's voice was certainly doing nothing to calm him down. He slowly looked around one side of the chair. Nothing. Maybe the monster had left.... No good. As soon as Troy turned to the other end he literally came face to face with it. He gasped in horror and shock, falling out of the chair and trying to back away as he crawled on the ground.

"Who are you?" it demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I just needed a place to stay..." Troy stammered, to frightened to take his eyes off the monster.

"You're not welcome here!" it hissed loudly in its deep beastly voice.

"I was just lost in the forest...it'd only be for one night..." he stammered once more as he tried explaining himself.

But this creature seemed to know better, almost as though it had years of experience knowing what such a reaction from a human meant.

"What are you staring at?" it yelled.

"Nothing!" Troy blurt out a little too quickly. "I just..."

But once again it was nothing but an interruption. "So, you've come to stare at the Beast have you?"

Troy tried running in the other direction but the Beast only blocked him off, staring him down as he did so.

"I meant no harm." Was the first and only full sentence Troy could get in with him.

"So, you need a place to stay do you?" the Beast questioned as he stood on his two hind legs, now standing over a good three feet taller than Troy, even more so than when Troy was sitting down and the Beast had been on all four's. "A place to stay you want? I'll give you a place to stay!" And he didn't at all sound thrilled to have such company. With his huge front paws, the Beast grabbed Troy by the collar of his shirt and lifted him right off the ground. The group of human-like objects that had been so kind and generous to Troy could only now stand in the corner as they watch in fear of what their master would do to Troy. And the sad truth was that they all knew where Troy would be taken. It certainly was no secret. And it was quite obvious that the master was nowhere near as caring or devoted as these...what to call them, people, objects, servants? But no matter how the situation was looked at, the group of four could do nothing. They only watched in sorrow and regret as Troy was lifted off his feet and carried out of the room by the Beast. And the last they heard of Troy before the door slammed shut were his cries of "no".

Troy was now trapped. He wanted to get out so badly. He was begging not to be held hostage. He was crying not to be punished by this monster. He was pleading not to be hurt by this...this thing. And he was asking not to lose the chance to see his sister again. But with such a creature having Troy at its mercy how could he ever get out again?

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Sorry that took so long to get up. It was a fairly big chapter, no? Now be prepared for this slightly long a/n about the characters introduced. As far as characters such as Zeke, Jason, Gabriella, and Donny go, it should have only been a glimpse of their personalities. More will be learned about them in their next appearance, especially as the story goes on. First off is Zeke. Why not have him portrayed as Lumiere? Zeke's a baker and he certainly seemed to have the dream of going to France someday...just here try to imagine him with even a faint French accent if at all possible. xD Now Jason as Cogsworth...well you see some similarity right? I'm especially trying to keep up Jason's record of saying the stupidest (and funniest) things at the worst times. With Gabriella as Mrs. Potts...I don't think I'll give too much of her away just yet. 0=) I've got a couple of ideas. And Donny was originally going to be Gabriella's son but assuming Gabriella's around the same age as Taylor or Troy, what kind of example would this Disney story be setting if she had him in high school? Ergo, baby brother Donny. And the Beast...well we all know who he is, right? A flat character for the time being. I used most of the Beast's dialogue from the actual movie and tried picturing him here in a really bad mood...and a deeper voice...and curlier fur...that's all besides the point. But rest assured, he will make a reappearance again and you know where it all goes from there. 0=) So once again I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting for this chapter. I hope the wait was worth it. I've been piled up with tons of homework this week and I know there's more coming up, especially with finals around the corner. But once summer is here, count on more than one update a week!


	5. Chapter 4

I apologize for not updating in a while. I've been loaded in tons of homework and finals are coming up. But I have been keeping up with the Beauty and the Beast on youtube so I can write each chapter based on certain scenes, so it's not like I'm being completely lazy. 0=) Anyway, I wanna say thanks for the patience you guys have so if this chapter turns out well consider it a very nice reward. ^^ Now a quick thanks to people who reviewed the last chapter cause I love you guys so much for the support ^^: Digigirl02, , Rockyshadow, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, and RamandusDaughter23. Now onto the story!  
Disclaimer: I've been getting Beauty and the Beast by Celine Dion stuck in my head so much I wanna own the movie. Oh, and HSM, too. XD

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"There it is Ryan. That's the place where everything is all set." Sharpay said as she gazed a close distance over towards Troy's and Taylor's farm.

Ryan glanced at his sister with a quirked eyebrow. "I still don't get it Sharpay."

Sharpay sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "What's not to get? All I do is go in there and convince Taylor to marry you, you two get hitched, the end."

"But what's the whole point of it?" Ryan asked. "I'm not ready for a commitment like that with someone I don't like."

"Ryan you're so naive." she replied. "With Taylor spoken for the men around here will have no choice but to come to me. All I'd have to do is pick a possible suitor." She pulled Ryan towards the area where she had already set everything up for a minor wedding. There was one table with a cake and plates, one with few types of other food, a few chairs for people to sit, a silk white carpet rolled down the invisible aisle, and a large pick with a sigh around its neck that read "just hitched".

Ryan made a face at the scene. Sharpay barely went to any trouble with this. She just assumed she had everything planned. But the issue with that was, Ryan didn't want anything like that. He actually kind of liked the girls fawning over him...well, when they didn't get crazy, that is.

"See, I have everything set up." Sharpay continued. "Now just put on your little suit while I get out your lady."

Ryan turned to his sister. "Why even go through this Shar?" he asked. "What happened to that plan you made a couple of years ago?"

"Plans change, Ry. And I haven't been able to get to that place in years. So I might as well work with what I can. And besides, don't you want the second prettiest girl in town as your wife?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Second prettiest?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Well of course. I mean, I've seen the looks boys give her. They give me the same looks. But they're serious with me." she replied.

"Sharpay I'd really think you'd have a better chance with the prince-" Ryan started.

She spun right towards her brother and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Don't you dare mention that to me, Ryan. Now you listen to me and you listen good," she warned him. "What happened in that place _stays_ in that place. No one has to know about it, and no one will know about it. Do I make myself clear?"

Ryan nodded rapidly. "Crystal."

"Perfect." Sharpay replied sweetly with her most generous smile. She let go of Ryan and straightened herself up. "Now as soon as I come out with Taylor just signal the band to start playing so you two can live happily ever after. I'll be done before you can say omelette de fromage." She waved her hand as she strutted towards the farm. Ignoring the sigh escaping Ryan's mouth as she disappeared by the front door, Sharpay knocked ever so gently. There was no way her plan could go wrong now.

At the moment Taylor had her eyes glued to the book. Yes, the very same book she received from the book shop. With Troy off on his convention that left Taylor with almost nothing but peace and quiet around so it only made sense to continue with her reading. She had become quite entranced with the story, actually, despite her already knowing a good portion of it by heart. She was nearing the end of chapter three, one that she had been reading for days due to its incredible length, but little did she know she wouldn't get much of a chance to finish. Her eyes were removed from the page upon hearing a knock at the door. She left the book opened on the table and pressed it down once so it wouldn't close on its own. Taylor made her way to the front door and raised an eyebrow as soon as she saw who had been waiting for her to answer.

"Sharpay?" she inquired upon opening the door.

"Oh good morning darling, I really hope I'm not disturbing you." Sharpay replied right away as she strutted in.

"Please, make yourself at home." Taylor muttered sarcastically even after Sharpay invited herself in. Taylor closed the door and followed Sharpay through the small corridor. "What brings you to these parts today?"

"Why what else but to make your dreams come true!" she exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Taylor asked doubtfully, folding her arms.

"Let me rephrase. This is the day..." The blond cut herself off, glancing at herself in a mirror on the wall. She did her signature hair flip, which made any loose ends fall right back into place. Turning back to Taylor, she continued. "This is the day I make your dreams come true."

"What do you know about my dreams?" Taylor asked.

"More than you think, my dear." Sharpay answered as she kept her nice act going. "I must confess something. My baby brother has had a mad crush on you since we were seven."

"He's ten minutes younger than you." Taylor recalled.

"Uh-uh, uh-huh, you didn't let me finish." Sharpay sang, shaking her finger. "I have come here to make his and your dreams come true. He has all the girls in town fawning over him so naturally if he can't have his own sister he might as well have you. This will keep all the third-raters of of his back and he'll be able to live happily ever after with you." She sat down on the chair Taylor had occupied moments ago and pushed the book off the table so she could rest her arm on it. "Ryan has dreamed of this for so long. He tells me how he pictures it every day. He would have just arrived home from his well-paying job. His little wife would be cooking dinner over the burning wood of the fire place as he rests in his comfy chair. And the little ones will gather around listening to him tell stories about the good old days. And then, right before you two head off to bed together, you would give him the ever most relaxing foot message."

Taylor refrained herself from shuddering somehow. Normally she would have just snapped at Sharpay and tell the girl to be on her way. But she knew how doubtful this all was.

"Little ones?" she merely asked.

"I think he wants about eight or nine." Sharpay answered. "Handsome young boys like himself."

"That's ridiculous. There are no guarantees that any children will turn out to be a boy or girl." Taylor rolled her eyes. "Do you even hear yourself Sharpay?"

"I think I hear myself spilling out the dreams of my brother who is too shy to make his move." she replied innocently.

Taylor had to put her foot down now; she couldn't take any more of this. "Sharpay clearly you are having a hard time understanding the concept of impossibility. I don't know what kind of trick you're playing but you're not about to drag me into it."

Sharpay removed herself from the chair and slowly began ganging up on Taylor until she had her back to the wall. It appeared as though Sharpay was in control.

"Oh you know very well that all you're saying is a lie, Taylor. I see the way you look at him. I see the way he looks at you. A match made in heaven." she replied. "So what do you say, Taylor? Marry my baby brother?"

"You know, now that I think about it, it's such a tempting offer." Taylor said in her most generous voice. If she couldn't beat Sharpay at this, she might as well go with it. As she talked, Taylor moved her hand towards the doorknob. "I don't know how I could be so insecure to ever turn something like that down. But I'm afraid that I can't deny it anymore. There's only one answer I can give."

Sharpay had her award-winning smile on. She was sure she had everything in the palm of her hand. It was going better than she thought. However, Taylor had a different plan in store.

"Not a chance." Was the girl's response as she opened the door with Sharpay leaning forward. Taylor could read Sharpay so easily. Every time Sharpay would move in like that, it was all some form of intimidation. Make direct eye contact and get so close that there'd be no escape until she had her way. But unfortunately for her, Taylor was much smarter. Just as she had opened the door, she leaned up right against it leaving Sharpay with nothing in front of her. The blond tumbled down the few stone steps of the farm and fell face-first into the grass. The moment she looked up, the door was locked and slammed shut.

"RYAN!" Sharpay yelled as she stormed to the "wedding chapel". As soon as she stepped foot towards it and she was in everyone's eyeshot, the music began playing and Sharpay was caught off guard. She tripped over a nearby stump and flipped forward. Her upper body came in contact with the large pig and it squealed in horror, unaware of what had just happened. The pig ran off, leaving Sharpay to stumble forward once more. Her face then came in contact with a minor pile of mud and her clothes were now covered in the remains of soot or dirt that she had run into before the last collapse.

Ryan walked over to his sister, gently clapping his hands together. "So...how did it go?"

Sharpay slowly lifted herself up from the ground and glared up at her brother, even with the awful music she now heard in the background. Who even hired that band, anyway?

"What do you think?" Was her grouchy answer.

Luckily the ceremony had been nowhere near the farm's yard. The front was clear and all the back had were hills and the chicken coop. While Sharpay had her run-ins, Taylor had locked the door and went to retrieve her book. Wondering how things had been going outside made it near impossible for her to make it to the ending of the chapter. To be just cautious enough, Taylor waited a few minutes before poking her head outside as the sky began turning a faint shade of pink, signaling the approaching sunset.

"Is she gone?" Taylor asked the rooster perched by the front door. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, not giving the animal a chance to come up with a response even if he could talk. "Can you believe her? That woman was actually trying to con me into marrying her brother." She gathered a bucket of leftover food for the few pigs out back with the hens and went out to feed them. "I might as well marry Sharpay with the way she talked about something like that. Who is she kidding? She's a selfish, foolish..." Taylor couldn't even finish her thought with such annnoyance as she tossed the food out of the bucket and into the pig pen, the majority of it missing its designated food dish.

_"'Madame Sharpay_',

_Can't you just see it?_

_'Madame Sharpay',_

_Her brother's wife."_

Taylor's face was agitated as she pictured everything, even standing still with her hands intertwined. Just like a little wife who was meant to be seen and not heard. The thought just disgusted her so. Taylor shook her head, assuring herself that it would never happen. She wandered away from the pig pen and onto one of the hills behind the farm.

_"No sir, not me!_

_I guarantee it,_

_I want much more than this provincial life."_

Taylor could see the scenery so clear on the hilltop. In the distance with the grassy greens there were mountains and a lake all with a beautiful sunset to make it even more beautiful than it first appeared. There wasn't a town or even little home for miles. There was more excitement out there, more adventure. It wouldn't just be the same thing everyday. It would all be a new experience, a way for her to get out there. At this point the only thing stopping her from going anywhere was her brother. But even Taylor knew that if she journeyed somewhere far away she'd return to visit him. One thing was for sure, she knew her own dreams better than anyone did.

_"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere,_

_I want it more than I can tell."_

She sat down on the grass and looked down at the blossoming flowers. With just one gentle blow, with or without the late afternoon breeze, the petals would fly off into the distance. At least they would have a route of travel, not forced to keep their roots in the ground for a lifetime so much like Taylor felt.

_"And for once it might be grand_

_To have someone understand_

_I want so much more than they've got planned."_

Blowing on the flower she had picked from the ground, she watched as the thin pale yellow petals flew into the distance, letting the wind carry them the rest of the way. For a moment Taylor was lost in her thoughts just watching them fly. But it wasn't too long after that, that a neigh could be heard. It was faint at first, but it shortly grew louder and was accompanied by the stomping of hooves against the soft ground. Taylor stood up as soon as she recognized the neigh and could see Jimmie rushing over. He seemed slightly out of control, as though something had spooked the living daylights out of him.

"Jimmie!" Taylor gasped, rushing to calm the pony down. "Easy there boy, steady." she said as calmly as she could, grabbing onto the reigns. She watched as Jimmie slowly moved his legs down so his hooves could softly come in contact with the ground. He seemed much calmer now, but something wasn't right. The convention should still be going on. He should have arrived back in the early afternoon, perhaps late at night after making pit stops somewhere. But no, that wasn't quite it. Something was missing. Her eyes falling on the empty saddle, Taylor let out a gasp. She came to the sudden realization that her brother was missing. Troy was not occupying the saddle. Nothing of him was. As a matter of fact, not even a fly had been resting on it.

"Troy..." Taylor's breath was caught in her throat. Troy had promised he'd be back. But Jimmie had arrived without him. Why on earth would that happen? More importantly, where was Troy and why wasn't he with his companion? "Jimmie, where's Troy?" Taylor asked seconds later. Her worried tone spooked the horse slightly and he almost jumped onto his hind legs and shaking his front ones in the air. However, Taylor wouldn't see to it. She grabbed his reigns firmly and stared the Shetland right in the eyes. Her words were short and simple. Even if Jimmie were a few weeks old he'd be able to understand them. And clearly, Taylor was going to make sure that she got right to the point. The sooner she did the sooner she would find out where Troy was and be reunited with him.

"Where's Troy, Jimmie? Take me to him."

* * *

Ok I know this chapter was fairly short and there wasn't much in it. This was pretty much a way for you to see more of Sharpay's character and get a glimpse of Ryan. The cliffhanger is there at the end so then that way you know what's going to happen next. Well, in general anyway. So no new characters were introduced here. Now first you did hear Ryan almost get into something. Whether it's important or not, you'll find that out later. As for Sharpay'sencounter with the dirt and all, I hope I didn't make it too harsh for her. I didn't want her to completely land in mud or end up riding on the pig because then that might be overdoing it. And lastly is the cliffhanger. So, sorry for keeping you in suspense. It was either leave this cliffhanger or try and get the epic-ness of Taylor's first encounter with the castle and everyone all into this chapter. So now you know the details and I will shut up. All else I will say is that I hope you enjoyed at least something in this chapter and I promise to get the next one up as soon as I get enough of a chance.


	6. Chapter 5

Well I promised the next chapter up this would be up this week so here it is! I have two more weeks of school and this week I have a writing final and I have to finish my art final. My final exam is next Monday so if I don't get another chapter up this week you know another chapter will be up next week. I have also been starting a new story while I've been at work. While it's slow I write down parts of the story so if it turns out well I will eventually put it up here. Anyway, that's all straying from the point. Now to say thank you to the reviews from last chapter: , Rockyshadow, Ryle, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Digigirl02, and RamandusDaughter23. Also to Ryle's review, thank you for reminding me about my Deleted HSM Scenes, after this chapter I will update that with the next one! I promise not to leave anyone hanging on that one. Now to get back to this story.  
Disclaimer: I do not own either movie or anything else that might somehow be associated in the story.

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Hooves stomped cautiously, almost too quietly, against the rocky path. The sky had become black all too quickly and felt as though an evil shadow had been caste all throughout the forest. The journey had been quick at first but upon entering the forest itself the horse's movement became all too slow. He may not have been the smartest of horses but even Jimmie could sense danger. It seemed as though it was the only vibe he received from the darkened area. And even though he didn't know the exact direction in which Troy had gone, the scent of the boy was still somewhat fresh. Faint flurries covered the ground after the rain had finally stopped which did wash away most of Troy's scent. Even the smell of the wolves was still fresh, though it was clear they ran around so much more than Troy had. Just remembering their hisses and growls nearly made Jimmie jump. But with Taylor in control he wouldn't have a chance to do so. Her grip was tight on his reigns, refusing to let go at any cost. As far as she saw it, the Shetland was the only key to finding Troy and she wasn't going to lose the chance. Her grip began to loosen as Jimmie halted in front of a large iron gate. Taylor's eyes drifted away from the road and through the bars, slowly scaling up the castle feet behind it. Lightning struck behind it, which must have meant any storm from before stopped not too long ago.

She slowly lifted down the hood of the jacket she threw on before leaving the farm earlier and took another glance around as she removed herself from the saddle. "What is this place?"

Jimmie's only response was blowing a portion of his mane out of his face. He turned his head to see Taylor moving over to the gate. She felt the bars carefully before finding the hook and opening it. She took a single step in before taking Jimmie's reigns again and letting him follow her in. Jimmie took a few steps forwards towards the bleak castle. The sudden sound of Taylor closing the gate with a squeak made him jump and neigh with surprise.

"Jimmie, it's ok." Taylor said quickly, trying to calm him down. "It's alright."

The horse slowly got back down to all four's and the neighs were silenced. He stayed where he was as he watched Taylor approach the castle. Her goal was clear, that much was known. But wasn't known to her was what was waiting on the other side of the doors.

---

Jason had his hands behind his back as he paced back and forth on a large coffee table. It was barely even a day ago that Troy was locked in the dungeon and it had finally quieted down. However no one in the castle dared to talk to the master. There was no chance of him allowing Troy to leave. Zeke appeared to feel quite guilty over it, as he kept rubbing his head with one of his candle arms. And evidently, Jason was not letting his comrade hear the end of it.

"How could you do that? What were you thinking?" Jason groaned. "You had to let him stay in here. You had to take him over to the fire place. You had to let him sit in that chair!"

"I was trying to be hospitable." Zeke shrugged his shoulders.

"You invited him to stay the night!" Jason gasped.

Zeke was about to reply when he and Jason turned their heads. A faint squeak was heard and they realized that it was the sound of the front door opening. A slight breeze blew in and light coming from outside reflected off the hard floor through the hallway. He and Jason jumped down from the coffee table and made their way over to the doorway where they could get a good view of the entrance. Who on earth could that be?

"Hello? Is anyone here?" a woman's voice called. "Hello?" She gently closed the door behind her and made her way to the nearest steps. "Troy? Troy?" Coming to the top of the steps Taylor looked in both directions before continuing her way around the castle. The place nearly seemed deserted, as no one was around or answering. "Is anyone there?"

A wide grin came across Donny's face as he watched from the doorway Taylor just walked by. He jumped up and down and ran excitedly over to his sister - or in his case, hopped.

"Gabby, Gabby!" he exclaimed as he saw her cleaning the other teacups in a large boiling pot. "There's a girl in the castle!"

"Donny, not again." Gabriella sighed as she hopped down from the stool she used to watch over the teacups. "We can't have you making up all of these wild stories. Every time you think you see a girl it just turns out to be something ordinary. Like a radio. Or one of your friends doing impressions of girls."

"But I'm not lying Gabby, I really saw one." Donny replied.

"Donny that's enough. The sooner you get in the tub the sooner you'll be cleaned and can go to bed." Gabriella replied. She helped her brother into the pot and he tumbled in with a tiny splash underneath the bubbles.

"Gabriella!"

The teapot turned her head to see a feather duster enter from behind one of the cupboards. The feathers on her lower body looked like an indian red shade and the remainder of her body was nothing but a thin khaki stick, aside from the eyes and mouth that rested towards the top. Unlike the faint French accent that Zeke often spoke in, her voice was much more of a deep British one.

"Tiara what is it?" Gabriella inquired.

"I saw a girl in the castle." she replied with a smile before scooting off to tell anyone else that didn't know. After all, it was such big gossip around the castle for a human, especially a girl, to waltz in.

"See?" Donny asked with a smile as he floated to the surface of the pot. "I told you."

As Taylor continued her way through the castle, Zeke and Jason were trying their best to keep up with her, attempting not to give it away that she was being followed. Zeke could have sworn that it was indeed a girl that they were going after but being the down to Earth candelabra that he was, he wanted to be sure it wasn't a wild goose chase. Jason, on the other hand, had already assumed that he was going crazy. He had been told that so many times he was almost positive that it was true. He continued following Zeke, only to keep yapping about Troy being locked in the dungeon. How Taylor didn't even notice either of them following or hear them was a mystery.

"It was irresponsible, Zeke. It's my job to be the irresponsible one!" he continued. "I don't even know how you can live with yourself sometimes. You're a waxy haired, skinny golden holder thing, paler than you've ever been-"

Zeke just rolled his eyes and continued trailing the girl, though he couldn't resist moving one of his candle hands as Zeke spoke. It was like his own mouth talking and mocking everything that Jason was saying without even speaking. But he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get Jason to get the message.

"Are you not hearing what is in front of you?" he asked.

"The last time you asked me that, you lied about the panda bear." Jason complained.

"Troy?" Taylor called again.

Jason's jaw dropped and he nearly froze in his place. It took him a few minutes to speed up and catch up to Zeke, who now wasn't too far from Taylor. The two ducked behind one of the statues against the wall and watched Taylor continue down the corridor.

"Now do you believe me?" Zeke asked. "It's a girl!"

"I know it's a girl. I'm not that stupid." Jason rolled his eyes.

"Don't you see Jason?" Zeke asked eagerly with a smile. "She's the one! The girl we've been waiting for! She's come to break the spell." He happily spun Jason around and then continued following Taylor.

"Wait a minute..." Jason started as he kept spinning even after Zeke was done with him. "Were these walls always orange?" Yup, the dizziness got to him. Moments later he shook his head once more and attempted to catch up with Zeke. "Wait for me!"

But Zeke didn't slow down. He knew that they were approaching the dungeon. And if it was Troy the girl was looking for, it was Troy she was going to find. Zeke had to get her to go into the dungeon or his name was Monsieur Baylor...which it technically wasn't because hardly anyone even called him that. He stopped at the door, watching Taylor move on down the hall. He rubbed his chin for a moment, pondering how to get her to follow him. That's when he got the idea. There may have been a long staircase behind that door up to the dungeon, but he worked well under pressure. He'd get through there first and then perch himself on the thin windowsill towards the top, she would call for help, Troy would hear her, and they'd be reunited. It was genius.

Zeke moved in with his plan. He moved the door opened just a crack so he could get through. It must have been loud enough for Taylor to hear, because she turned around and pushed the door opened a little more. "Hello?" she asked, cautiously stepping through. She was not about to get caught off guard in unfamiliar territory. Squinting, she could have sworn she saw a faint light towards the end of the stairs as they curved. "Hello?" she asked again, then began following the dim light that was Zeke. "Wait. I'm looking for my brother!"

As she headed up the stairs, Jason poked his head through the doorway. His face just fell as he watched, knowing there wasn't anything he could do at the moment.

Taylor moved her hand against the cold brick wall as she walked up the staircase. She quirked an eyebrow. This was too odd; she knew she saw something, there was no way it could have been her imagination. Maybe it could have been her mind playing tricks on her due to being outside for so long in the chilly weather, or because her nerves were getting the better of her, but Taylor was not one to hallucinate easily.

"That's odd...I was sure I saw someone." she said to herself. She walked past where Zeke was on the little windowsill, unaware that it was he she had saw. Taylor looked around the staircase and the dusty area as it came to an end. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to double check. "Is anyone here?"

Zeke's face lit up. Troy had to have heard that. He felt all warm inside knowing he did such a good thing. And it wasn't just his bright candles that made him feel so content.

"Tay?" Troy called hoarsely.

Taylor's eyes widened. "Troy!" she gasped, running over to him. She saw his hand stick out at the bottom of an iron door through, wouldn't you know it, another set of iron bars. She knelt down to his level and saw him laying on the ground looking up at her. She sighed with relief as soon as she grasped his freezing hand in hers.

"How...how did you find me?" Troy stammered before covering his mouth to cough.

"Troy, you're so cold. What happened?" Taylor asked, ignoring his question. Besides, she assumed it would be obvious she had Jimmie's help to get there.

Troy just shook his head. He had been cold from being outside before, but the dungeon felt even colder. No warmth came from the brick walls and any windows that happened to be up there were wide open. It was clear that he was no longer worried about himself. Had he wanted to get out of there? More than anything. But did he want his sister to get in trouble for being here or go through what he did? Most certainly not. He had to convince her to get out of there while there was still time.

"Listen Tay, you have to forget about me. Just get out of here. Leave while you can." he urged.

"Who did this to you?" Taylor questioned. Whoever was putting Troy in so much peril was surely going to pay.

"That doesn't matter. There's no time, Taylor. You have to leave. Now!" Troy demanded.

"I'm not going to leave you." she insisted.

But there wasn't any chance for either of them to get another word in. A large, furry hand grasped Taylor's shoulder and spun her around to him. She gasped and jumped back on surprise contact. But because of the darkness it was impossible to see who was there. Barely even a shadow was visible. The only light coming into the dungeon was the open windows and Zeke's candles from the stairwell. The aura in the room had suddenly gone from cold and worried to frightful and bleak. Taylor put her hand on her chest as an involuntary reaction and tried following the deep, harsh voice that circled the room.

"What are you doing here?"

"Who's there?" Was Taylor's reply as she tried to keep up, now leaning against the wall. "Who are you?"

She looked up and, with the light from one of the windows shining almost right in front of her, she could see the shadow of the roaring voice. She couldn't make out too much of it aside from what appeared to be a large body and...were those horns on his head?

"I'm the master of this castle." he hissed as he crept through the shadows, making it harder for Taylor to keep up with him.

"I came for my brother." Taylor got right to the point. Though she was now sitting on the floor she refused to show any fear. A hint of it was evident in her voice, but it was awfully hard to trust someone hidden in the darkness. If she could see who she was talking to it'd make it so much easier to stand up to him and get Troy out. "I have to get him out of here. I think he's ill."

If he was so sick he shouldn't have trespassed here!" he demanded, glaring at her right through chocolate brown eyes, the only part of his body that was visible.

"If I don't get him out of here and if he doesn't see a doctor the chances are slim that he'll live." Taylor replied. "Listen to me, I'll do anything." she blurt out, her voice becoming desperate. Just the thought of losing Troy was enough to frighten her. They were the only family each other had left; it was impossible to even think about living without the other.

The shadow looked away, his brown eyes released from Taylor's as he growled to himself. "There's nothing you could do." he said in a low voice, the iciness remaining in it. He moved on all four's through the shadows again and Taylor continued to follow his movements. "He's my prisoner now."

"But there has to be something..." Taylor started. Then she cut herself off. Yes, there did have to be something. There's no way anyone could continue through with something without making a trade of some sort. People did it all the time. Maybe there was a way to get Troy out of there and give this master something in return. For all Taylor knew he could be amendable to a compromise. All she had to do was make just the right pitch and convince him to go through with it. "Wait!"

He spun right back to her in one fluid motion, the cape on his back floating on the air with the freeze coming from outside. One again his brown eyes were right on her, almost as though they were staring into her very being. He held his ground firmly, almost like there was no way he was going to move. This almost completely caught Taylor off guard. He certainly wasn't holding back any hatred he had nor was he afraid to reflect it on others. She hesitated for a minute, almost contemplating in her mind whether it was the right thing to do or not. She glanced down at Troy through the bars, then slowly turned her head back to this master. Taylor tried her best to ignore the lump in her throat, not allowing herself to show any emotions at all about the current situation. She made sure they were completely held back before she spoke again.

"You can take me instead."

The sound of it almost seemed to disgust him. He turned his head and gritted his teeth. He almost gave off the impression that there was no way he'd agree to it, that there was no way he'd be willing to make an exchange.

"You." he muttered, at first despising the idea. His back was facing them and it was impossible to see his facial expression. One in the dark his eyes could still be seen. At first they were filled with hate and anger, as though he wanted nothing at all to do with this girl. A moment passed and he appeared to take it into consideration. He raised an eyebrow at first, then both his eyebrows. His frown became less toothy and his ears twitched a little. He let it all sink in. This girl was willing to let herself be locked up by him just to let that boy go? Was she even the slightest bit aware of what she was getting herself into? Did she even care? "You would...take his place?" he finally asked, almost in a quieter and softer tone as he turned his head back to them slightly.

Troy gasped. There was no way he was letting his sister go through with this. "Tay, don't! You don't know what you're doing!" he urged.

Taylor was silent for a moment. Maybe she didn't know what she was doing, and maybe she was getting herself into something she wanted to stray far away from. But it had to have been better than letting Troy rot in this place when he had his whole life still ahead of him. But still, she wanted to make sure they had a deal. If she was going to stay there then there was no way Troy was seeing the same fate.

"If I did, would you let him go?" she asked with as straight a face as possible.

The shadow merely nodded. "Yes. But you have to stay here forever."

She fell silent again. Taylor wanted to know what she was getting herself into. She knew one way or another she was going to go through with this; but if she did, who's prisoner would she really be? Taylor was not going to rush into something without thinking everything through unless it was an act on impulse situation. This was surely not one of them. Taylor picked up her eyes to look at the shadow and squinted. Still she couldn't see much of him. If he was the master of the castle, would that make him her master as well? What else did she know about this guy aside from his anger, hatred, deep voice, and monstrous-like shadow?

"Come into the light." she finally decided, wanting to get a good look at him.

But Taylor didn't know what she was thinking when she asked that. There was no way she could have prepared herself for what she was about to see. The shadow slowly stepped into the light in front of her. First it was just one of his hind legs. It was so hairy and skinny. And the claws on them were so sharp. Perhaps there was a logical explanation for it; he couldn't really have been a monster. But then her eyes widened as the rest of him slowly made it into the light. His body became more bulk, faintly muscular. Nothing but those tight curls covered his body and ripped pants clutched from his waist almost to his ankles. The arms were bulk and powerful, the claws just as sharp as the ones on the feet. Taylor didn't think anything about him could get much scarier. Her first impression was simply nothing more than monstrous. Almost beastly. And even when she saw his face in that littlest of light it was worse than she could ever imagined. The hairy face...the horns on the head...those tiny disproportionate ears...numerous locks of hair threatening to cover those chocolate eyes...the hideous snout with the seemingly cold, wet nose...sharp yellow fangs...the posture with his body standing tall and his legs spread out...the tail coming from behind and resting on the floor like a dangerous weapon ready to be used at any given moment...and just the way he glared right at her. Everything about him was so hard to believe. But yet he was right there in front of her. That was who...or what...she'd be agreeing to live with forever. Horrified, Taylor sealed her eyes shut and looked away. She grabbed the iron bars tightly, trying to refrain herself from showing anymore fear.

"Taylor please," Troy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "I'm not gonna let you do this."

Taylor looked at him, then slowly turned her head towards the Beast. Surely her being prisoner there was much better than Troy. She didn't care what her brother said; she knew what she had to do. Rising to her feet, Taylor took a few steps into the light. She didn't dare look up at him, not even in the eyes.

"Ok. I promise to stay forever." Her voice was quiet and hesitant. Neither made a single other action until Taylor could get her voice to sound more sure. She took a deep breath, still refusing to pick her head up. "You have my word." she finally said as surely and calmly as she could.

"Then done." the Beast said. He stomped over towards the door and pulled it open, practically pulling the lock off, and threw Troy out of the prison. The boy didn't waste any time before going over to Taylor. He struggled to stand in front of her and try to look her in the eyes with his hands on her shoulders. She had her mouth covered and her eyes remained shut. Even now she couldn't bare to look at her brother despite the fact it was most likely she would never see him again.

"Taylor, listen to me. You've got more life ahead of you than I do. Don't do this to yourself..." he began. But before another word could escape him, he was dragged by the back of his shirt collar. No, he couldn't leave now. Troy wasn't ready to go. "No...no, wait!"

the scene was too horrible to even think about. The whole situation was on the verge of freaking Taylor out. Just knowing that Troy was being dragged away and hearing his voice grow fainter and fainter was hard enough.

As the Beast dragged Troy down and out the front doors, Troy tried his best to get loose, even the slightest bit. "Come on...come on please. Please let me go. Let me stay here. Don't take it out on my sister..."

"You don't have to worry about her anymore. She's my problem now." the Beast hissed as he dragged him over to a coach.

"But...don't do anything to her...please don't hurt my sister." Troy tried again. "I swear, if you do one thing to hurt her..."

"I said she's not your concern anymore!" he roared, throwing Troy into the coach and slamming the door. "Drop him at the village. Get him out of my sight."

Troy's voice was now barely audible as he was locked in the coach. It began spreading legs from the ground as though they were roots. Walking on all six legs, the coach carried Troy over to the gates. It passed by Jimmie, which made the poor horse even more scared than he had been for the past two days. But even Jimmie couldn't follow Troy now. The poor, sick boy was being taken back to the village where he'd be on his own.

And all Taylor could do was watch as her only brother was carried off into the night. From the one dungeon window in her new home. Forever.

* * *

And there we have it! Finally the ecounter. I was trying to combine how they would possibly act with how it all happened in the movie . So as usual, here's hoping it turned out to everyone's liking. And as mentioned before, the next story to be updated will be HSM Deleted Scenes. I should be able to take care of it during my break tomorrow. as for this story there is another song coming up, most likely not the upcoming chapter but the chapter after that, so if it takes a bit longer to get that one up I can almost guarentee that it'll be because of all the revisions in the song that have to be done. And also, to everyone out there who is celebrating, Happy Mother's Day. ^^


	7. Chapter 6

And yet another chapter we have. This one is not going to be so long because it happens in such a short time usual I am typing it up while watching it during the movie piece by piece. I'm going to try and get the next few chapters up as fast as I can because personally, there's a scene that I really want to get to writing soon. xD So now, thank you to who reviewed last chapter as well as the overall reviews which I'm glad to know everyone is enjoying: Corbinsbabygrl1, Rockyshadow, , Chaylorxtraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, Digigirl02, RamandusDaughter23, MermaidRam85, xXMXx, and Ryle. Big smileys for everyone! C=  
Disclaimer: I'm not rich enough to own either story.

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The Beast stormed up the stairway back to the tower, his paws pressing against the stone walls as assistance in the darkest area. Troy was gone and out of the picture. The coach would return him back to the town and he could go on living his pathetic little life. Pheh, he could go on living in the Sahara Desert for all the Beast cared. He had more important things to be concerned with. Why he ever let that girl negotiate with him, he'd never know. Either way the deal was done. Step after step up the staircase the thoughts of the previous fifteen or so minutes ran through his furry mind. That is, until his thoughts were disturbed.

"Master?"

The Beast growled and turned to the little light coming from the small window in the staircase. He had come across none other than Zeke. The Beast never knew why Zeke was kept around the castle, other than to assist the chef once in a while. But now he was nothing like that. The voice of reason, perhaps? But it made no difference. Nearly anything anyone would say would quite frankly disturb the monster.

Turning to the candelabra, he glared at him and bared his sharp teeth. "What?"

Zeke tapped his candle holding arms together, taking but a brief moment to bring together his thoughts. What better way to avoid getting into trouble?

"Well, I was thinking...the girl is going to be with us for a while. Maybe even longer than that." he started. Oh wait...the Beast's exact words were 'forever'. It was most definitely longer than a while. "So perhaps during her stay here in your castle, you might want to offer her a better room?"

Even though the suggestion came in more of the question form, it made no difference. The Beast's reaction was the same. Zeke chose his words right and he was polite about it, yet it only made the idea seem worse. The Beast growled, the harsh breath exiting his mouth brushing up against Zeke's candle flames and put them out. As the creature finished storming up the stairs Zeke just remained where he was, his eyes a bit wide. His arms were still clapped together and he stood in the exact same position.

"On second thought...never mind."

The Beast finished his way into the dungeon and entered the cold, hard room that his guest was staying in. His brown eyes watched her carefully. She sat with one of her sides directly next to the wall and under the window, most likely the same one that she had watched her brother leave through. Her legs were pulled into her chest tight and her head was resting on her knees. Amazingly enough, she wasn't sobbing. And although the Beast had no idea why, he could see the emotion in them as soon as she turned her head towards him. after all, it wasn't difficult to miss a six foot curly-haired monster stepping into a stone room.

"You didn't even let me say good-bye." she told him coldly, despite the fact that her voice was clearly cracking.

The Beast nearly took a step back. There was that emotion in her eyes. Like her icy tone, she was quite furious with him. But much like her cracking voice they were also full of pain and sadness. She really was a smart girl, not to show her emotions any other way and knowing he would return up there just moments after disposing of her brother. If anything, the Beast could now see why Zeke suggested she get her own room. There were more than enough of them in the castle even for the servants. And she wouldn't be much happier in the dungeon than she was now. Not to mention she would definitely know that if she had her own room she could act however she wanted without worrying about the Beast barging in on her. However, he wasn't one to show emotions easily either after what he had been through. So if she was going to be that stubborn, then he was more than happy to be just the same.

"I'll take you to your room." the Beast said in a similar tone to her cold one, heading back to the door.

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "But I thought this was..."

"Fine." he huffed, clearly sarcastic. "Stay in the dungeon. Rot out up here for all I care." He was barely five feet away from the door when he heard her speak again.

"Wait."

He turned on his heel and walked back over, standing in the doorway and impatiently waiting for her to continue. Taylor didn't seem pleased about it, but after staying silent for a moment she willed herself to talk.

"What was that you were saying about a room?"

"Follow me." the Beast ordered, his cool tone not changing.

Using Zeke as their light source through numerous darkened corridors, the pair walked through through the castle. All that bounced off the walls in echos were their footsteps. Neither said a single word and not even Zeke allowed himself to open his mouth. He started with merely watching them, which he was lucky enough to do from the angle he was being held at. Taylor had kept her head down and still refrained herself from showing anything other than anger. It was quite understandable; she had been through much in just one day. She must have been following the master just by looking at his hind legs or tail, as any other way her eyes were not taken off the floor. She refused to make eye contact with anyone or anything. Then taking a look at his master, Zeke could tell that there were only two words to describe their hour-long relationship: silent treatment. Surely this was no way to treat a guest, let along a young woman. But if Zeke was going to say anything he was going to have to be as quiet as possible so only the Beast could hear about it. After all he wasn't going to blurt anything out especially without thinking. He was no Jason.

Gently nudging one of the Beast's horns with his elbow, Zeke then lowered his voice. "Say something to her."

"Oh...right..." the master nodded slowly, just as quietly. He raised an eyebrow, knowing that at least in this case Zeke was right. But he was going to take credit for the idea of giving the girl her own room. Now, what to say to possibly comfort her and not get him thrown into a wall...? "I, um, think you'll like it here." he managed to say, turning his head slightly behind him to look at Taylor. He could now see what Zeke saw of her. Still, Taylor wouldn't pick up her head or even look around the hallway to get any bearings of the castle. Well, this was going well. Not even looking at the candelabra, the Beast knew his servant was signaling him to go on. "The castle's your home now so you can go anywhere you want. Except the West Wing."

For once Taylor took her eyes off of the floor, but rather than picking her head up to look at him or anything in front of her she let her gaze fall to the side, as though she were trying to look behind her. "And what's in the West Wing?"

The Beast stopped dead in his tracks and swung around to face Taylor. "It's forbidden." he scowled, his voice rising with anger. This caused Taylor to actually pick her head up and look at him, something she had tried not to do throughout the entire journey of the castle. She stopped neatly right behind - or in this case, in front of - him and just stared at him wide-eyed. She didn't realize how easy it was to hit a sensitive spot with him, assuming that was one, just by asking a minor question. She then decided to put her head back down and keep her eyes on the ground. Following the bit of his tail she could see from the corner of her eye and the sound of his footsteps, she continued following him as he began walking again. As for the Beast, he knew he shouldn't have snapped like that. But that was the one area of the castle where he didn't want a soul entering. He was merely just trying to emphasize his point. He saw no harm in that...technically speaking, anyway.

Finally, they stopped at a large doorway and the Beast opened it, revealing to Taylor what much have been her bedroom. It was fairly large in size and the walls were painted in a lavender shade and the carpeting was...well, a bit difficult to tell the exact shade with the lack of lighting there was in there at the moment. Across from the doorway was a queen-sized canopy bed with the headboard against the wall and what appeared to be a small balcony just feet away from it, also across from the door. Beside the bed was a small dresser and next to that was a fairly large wardrobe. On the side of the room opposite from those was another dresser, a much larger one to be exact, a dusty old trunk which most likely held items from the last occupant of the room, and a small mirror. Taylor cautiously stepped into the room as the Beast held the door open for her, though not in an intended gentlemanly manner.

"If you need anything just ask my servants. They'll take care of it for you." he explained to her.

And once again, he received a minor nudging from Zeke at his horn. "Dinner," the candelabra whispered into his tiny ear, "ask her out to dinner."

Like there was anywhere to go out for dinner. Nevertheless, the Beast saw his servant's point. He straightened his posture and raised his voice, taking the request a little too far. "You'll have dinner with me tonight. And I'm not taking no for an answer!"

Yup, the request was taken much further. He raised his voice almost high enough to snap at her. In other words, it was an order. And before Zeke could give him another nudge or suggestion, the Beast slammed the door shut. Not that he locked it or anything; that could only be done from inside the room. The last sound that was heard of him was more storming away through the hallway.

Taylor turned to the door and just stared at it. She didn't want to look at this new room of hers more than she already had. Yes, it was much nicer than the room she had in her real home but she didn't care. This wasn't her home and this wasn't her family. This wasn't where she wanted to be. And now, better or worse than the dungeon, she was left to live there against her will. The things she did for her brother. But it wasn't Troy she was furious at. Taylor was angry at herself for letting that monster of a master tell her what to do and where she'd be spending her evening. She wanted nothing to do with him. She wanted nothing to do with the castle. All she wanted was to get out of there and go home. To her real home. But there was no hope of doing that now and she realized that. The Beast had made it clear that she was his prisoner, despite any temporary wording there must have been of calling her a guest. She was no guest. She was a hostage. What would happen if the Beast wanted something in return for her imprisonment? It was all too much to take in. She took deep breaths and looked around the room. There was no one else around. She wasn't being watched. No one was going to step in there without her permission. She was alone.

Taking the opportunity that she was given, Taylor pushed her way over onto the bed and sat in a similar way she had on the dungeon floor. Her back was up against the pillows, her legs were pulled into her chest, and her arms were wrapped around her legs as tight as they could be. Now she didn't have to worry about concealing her emotions because there was no one to hide them from. She buried her head in her knees and just let everything out. And if that wasn't a sign that any possible torture would begin soon, then surely the snow that was falling outside was.

* * *

Like I said, the chapter would not be very long. Hopefully it was semi-decent for now. The next chapter is going to have a song in it and nearly the whole thing is going to need to be revised for the scene, story, etc, so I'm not sure how long it will take to do that. I'll try and do it as quick as possible. Now what else did I possibly want to type...? Yeah, never mind. I got nothing.


	8. Chapter 7

Once again I would like to apologize for the wait for this chapter. As I mentioned, this chapter does involve a song which needed a lot of tweaking and I wanted to make sure it was perfect. You know, not too insulting or anything. I even had my friend Char to look it all over, so thank you for that. ^^ Also thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter; RockyShadow, Digigirl02, RamandusDaughter23, HSM, ChaylorxTraylorlover101, and ActingPrincess (aka Char). So for the song during this chapter, one again the lyrics will be italicized and the actions that any characters are doing during the lines will be described before they're singing so you can get a faint idea of what they're doing during the song. Hope it doesn't get too confusing or anything.  
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM, Beauty and the Beast, any of the characters, nor the song.

* * *

The largest house in town was filled nearly to its complete occupancy. While the fireplace was going high and mighty, keeping everyone warm inside, outside it was snowing fairly harshly and a cold breeze kept going. The sound of the snow pounding against the house was only silenced out by the music from inside. Guys and girls of numerous ages, though most were closer to their low twenty's, were either dancing or eating. Their boots and heels tapped against the tiled floor and there were tables with chairs and foods all around with various foods and drinks. The room the apparent party was in was mostly covered with bright colors. there was a large cushion chair facing the fireplace and not too far from it by one of the corners was a large pink wardrobe. Currently occupying the chair was none other than Sharpay, who has yet to be put out of her bad mood. Her original plan of getting rid of her so-called problem had gone less than well-planned and it had put her in a slump. She had no idea how to deal with it and she had other things on her mind. And yet she was the one hosting the party, which had originally been planned for Ryan's "marriage". Some marriage it turned out to be. Ryan was still not off the market for all of the girls in town who adored him, and Taylor would continue to awe all the guys that should be awing Sharpay, even if the girl didn't know it.

"Who does she think she is?" Sharpay demanded. "No girl ever turns down a chance to marry Ryan Evans. I tried to help her and this is the thanks I get."

Ryan walked over and handed her a cup full of soda pop. "Good point."

But that wasn't enough for Sharpay. She kept going on. "Pushed aside! Lost the fight! Stood if to! It's more than I can handle." she went on as she grabbed the glass from him. She wasn't one to keep opinions to herself, that was for sure. If Sharpay was feeling any type of bad feelings at all she was going to let them out, no questions asked. And right now, after what had happened that afternoon, Sharpay couldn't feel more inferior to Taylor. She despised the feeling so much. Sharpay was in such a bad mood she had drunk ever bit of soda from its glass and tossed the now empty object behind her.

"More pop?" Ryan asked, offering his own glass to her.

"Why bother? It's not gonna help." Sharpay complained, moving her chair so she wouldn't have to face him.

Now in a way, Ryan may be considered Sharpay's sidekick. But he was still her brother first and he hated seeing her like this. "Not a chance!" he said walking over to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Come on Shar, pull yourself together." He was trying to be as encouraging as he could. And Ryan figured he knew just the way to lift her spirits. The best way to do that? Sing. So even when she tried moving her chair away from him again, Ryan just ended up facing her once more. He put an arm around her and then tried to help but a smile on her face.

_"Gosh it disturbs me to see you Sharpay_

_Looking so down in the dumps."_

But when he tried to put the smile on her, Sharpay just shoved him away from her. Ryan lose his balance and fell back, being caught by a small group of girls. They were mostly dressed in pink attire to separate themselves from the others. The ones in pink were her admirerers, as well as most of the guys there. The remainder of the girls there just envied her and were only there for some free food and drinks. The pink girls helped Ryan back up to his feet and he slipped his arms around them, then took a few steps forward away from them and puffed up his cheeks.

_"Every girl here'd love to be you, Sharpay_

_Even if you've had the mumps_

_There's no girl in town as admired as you_

_You're ev'ryone's favorite gal."_

While Sharpay once again tried to turn away from her brother, he just took her hand and spun her around so she'd get off of her chair and turned her to face the crowd. He then spun himself around and signaled to the group around them, then bowed down to her.

_"Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you_

_And it's not very hard to see why."_

As if right on cue, numerous buff guys surrounded her and a small smile appeared on Sharpay's face. Now that was something she quite enjoyed. As that happened, Ryan slowly got back up to his feet at the first note. He struck a pose similar to what Sharpay normally would, one of his legs out in front of him and his hand behind his head. Then he did like what Sharpay had just done to him and shoved someone who was trying to get a drink away from the table and into a very creepy person's lap. Getting back up to his feet, he changed his tone to what an angry Sharpay would sound like and walked by her in the same way which she would walk past anyone, used for emphasis.

_"No one's good as Sharpay_

_No one's rude as Sharpay_

_No one's ever put in a mood like Sharpay."_

Ryan then got behind Sharpay and kept his hands inches away from her, moving them around and down her body to highlight her curves. He then gestured to a photo on the wall of Sharpay during their last trip to the beach in a bikini and skirt striking one of her most famous poses with her usual golden smile. Ryan moved over towards a group of what could be Sharpay's followers, all with names sounding about as popular as Sharpay's did. He jumped up, the three girls being taller than him, so he could be seen between two of their heads at a time before turning back to Sharpay.

_"For there's no girl in town half as gorgeous_

_Perfect, a pure paragon_

_You can ask any Emma, Jackie, or Lea_

_And they'll tell you which girl they'd prefer to hang out with."_

Before he could go on anymore, the three girls grabbed him by the hands, then spread out so they could each get in a scene with him. Ryan highlighted all the qualities they mentioned about Sharpay with his voice as they sang together.

_"No one's been like Sharpay_

_A queen pin like Sharpay."_

Ryan managed to get away from them and got behind his sister. He ran his hand across her chin from behind her, something Sharpay had established loud and clear that only Ryan would be able to do and not any guy who was trying to come onto her. That, and in case she ever had any zits around the area Ryan would be able to help cover it up much better than Sharpay would without the use of a mirror.

_"No one's got smooth skin on her chin like Sharpay."_

Sharpay smiled proudly at that fact and straightened her position so she stood up tall. Her voice rang high throughout the house and it was clear that the singing was working its charm and bringing nothing but flattery to her.

_"As a young woman, yes, I'm quite the looker."_

The girls joined in the chorus once again, clapping their cups of soda together for cheers. Even the guys around their table joined in and faint voiced from numerous other guests could be heard as well.

_"My what a gal, that Sharpay_

_Give five 'tada's'_

_Give twelve 'toodles'."_

Ryan grabbed a microphone and a bowl of food, spinning it around on the counter.

_"Sharpay's number one,_

_The rest is all noodles."_

Reaching in the bowl with his chops sticks, Ryan pulled out the noodles that were in there. From the corner of his eye he could see Sharpay glaring at him. Ryan smiled sheepishly and quickly turned on a spotlight so Sharpay stood as though she were on center stage. She gave her golden smile and stuck one of her best poses, to be exact, starting out with strutting forward with a hand on her hip, then stopping and standing tall and proud, waving her wrist - not her hand, her wrist. And with one of the buff guys walking past her Sharpay smiled coyly and circled him slowly, which caused the guy ready to melt right there in his place.

_"No one models like Sharpay_

_Cuddles nice as Sharpay."_

One of Sharpay's girls, Jackie, walked over to a closet and opened it. Upon contact, what looked like over twenty bags fell outside and on top of her, only her head sticking out of the miniature mountain.

_"In a mall no one buys as much as Sharpay."_

The strong boys walked over and each picked up a bag. One of them, what looked like a Disney Store bag, was the innocent looking bag and the other one was more of a Victoria's Secret bag which much have had at least three perfume bottles inside.

_"For there's no one as sweet and girlie."_

Sharpay smirked and walked over to them, pulling a package of lip gloss out of one of the bags. She snapped it open and showed it off to the girls standing nearby.

_"As you can see I've got make-up to spare."_

Ryan folded him arms and nodded, smiling proudly at his sister. She was always so confident and acting so in charge. It was no reason so many people could adore her or hate her. And anyone who would hate her in the least was clearly all from jealousy. Sucked for them. One more reason for Ryan so happy to call her his sister.

_"Not a bit of her's ugly or hated."_

Sharpay snapped her fingers and another spotlight came on from out of nowhere, ending up right on top of her. The spotlight had a pink highlight in it so she looked pink all over.

_"(That's right)_

_And I always cover myself with pink."_

Everyone joined in again and Sharpay went through every action as they spoke it. With her usual smile, Sharpay gave a wink. Strutting across the room when someone almost spilled some salt on a table she flicked it away from them with her fingers before a single scrap of it could touch the table top.

_"No one winks like Sharpay_

_Stops a jinx like Sharpay"_

Ryan tossed his microphone over to Sharpay, which she caught right on target. He sang first, followed directly by Sharpay right into the microphone.

_"In karaoke no one hits high notes like Sharpay."_

_"I'm especially skilled in screaming"_

Taking in a quick breath, Sharpay let out a screech at the highest possible note. The vibrations from her voice must have been too high or whatever the propor theory behind a high voice breaking glass was, because nearly every glass cup in a close range to Sharpay broke upon contact with such vibrations. The guys grinned widely and quickly held up notepads with scores on them reading a nine and three ten's.

_"Ten points for Sharpay!"_

Sharpay grabbed a photo album from a bookshelf nearby and slid it aross the table so everyone could get a good look at it. The page it opened up to had Sharpay as a little girl in it wearing low heels. She then stepped onto the table top and strutted across it in her high heeled shoes. She made her way from one side of the table to the opposite side close to the other side of the room and was able to look the tallest guy in the room, much taller than her by a good foot at least, and not only stared him right in the eye but poked him in the chest. Her long polished nails caught him off guard, nearly making him lose his balance and fall over.

_"When I was little I'd wear low heels_

_Ev'ry day to practice walking_

_And now I always leave my house in high heels_

_So I can really face someone and give them a good poking"_

Everyone watched her strut her way down from the table using the hands of one of the strong guys and stepping down the chairs near the table like they were stairs. She twirled herself around and ended up doing a backwards cartwheel to the tune of everyone's singing. Not only that but she attempted a move she hadn't done before - a flip. Grabbing the hands of two buff dudes, they helped her back up a little and lifted her off the ground slightly before gently plunging her forward as she let go of their hands and ended up doing a perfect flip, landing on her feet.

_"So one dances like Sharpay_

_Takes chances like Sharpay"_

Ryan turned on a fan which made her hair flow in the gentle breeze, making it look like a completely different hair style, as she walked back over to her comfortable chair.

_"Then goes wearing a new hair style like Sharpay"_

Sharpay snapped her fingers and getting a better look, eveyone could see most, if not all, of her furniture had sparkles on them.

_"I use sparkles in all my decorating"_

Everyone clapped their cups together with cheers as nearly every spotlight that must have been installed in the house went on and made Sharpay seem like she was glowing.

_"My what a gal!_

_Sharpay"_

Everyone began cheering. They felt so fortunate to have someone as great as Sharpay in their presence. Somehow the whole party seemed to be turning around. Sharpay was not enjoying herself and feeling much more content than she had been all day. Ryan was...most likely blinded by all the light that went on, but still feeling much better with Sharpay being all happy. And everyone was having their good time just dancing around or eating their seemingly tasty gourmet food. Such a nice party for such a snowy night, but it made everything seem so much better. But unfortunately, it wasn't made to last all night. The party was about to be crashed. All of a sudden, the front doors burst open. A freezing Troy stepped inside with snow covering his head, shoulders and feet. He was cold enough for people to see air escape his mouth when he breathed. He couldn't even say anything at first upon entering. Maybe it was from all the stares people were suddenly giving him or maybe it was because of the slam he had accidentally cause the doors to make. But most likely it was because he was out of breath after running all the way across town to get there. And even for someone as crazy as Troy was, or at least called, he knew where the big groups would be around town. Luckily for him, he came to the right place. But when Troy did manage to speak, his voice was nothing but panicky and breathless still.

"Help...help, please. Someone help me." he begged.

Emma raised an eyebrow as she, Jackie, and Lea looked over at Troy who was doing his best to rush all the way across the room. Even for girls a few years his minor like themselves, they still knew very well who he was. "Troy?" she raised an eyebrow.

She gasped upon almost being dragged off of her seat when Troy temporarily shook her, still asking for help. Jackie and Lea got their hands on Emma's shoulders to help her in her place as Troy ran across over to Sharpay and Ryan. Surely the man was nothing but cuckoo. But no one could ignore the worriment in his voice, one of the main reasons they were still staring at him. Their first assumption was that another wacky invention went wrong. But this was totally different.

"Please, you've got to believe me. He's got her...he's got her locked in the dungeon." he continued, still moving as quick as he could.

Lea shrugged her shoulders and cocked one of her eyebrows from confusion. "Who?"

Troy turned back to the three girls at an instant. "Tay." he answered. "We have to go. Now."

Sharpay giggled at Troy's antics. Crazy as he was, he was also fairly entertaining. She might as well play along with him. After all, what harm was there in it? And who knew, maybe by some ironic change of events Troy could prove himself to her and maybe the less than slim chance of Sharpay noticing him as something other than crazy yet attractive would become slightly above that slim chance and she could see him as something different.

"Take it easy Troy, slow down." She playfully rolled her eyes, pondering what game he must have been playing. "Who's got your sister locked in a dungeon?"

Troy's eyes widened as soon as she asked. He scurried over to Sharpay and held his arms in the air for emphasis. "A beast!" he gasped. "An awful monstrous beast!"

He said nothing else at first, pausing for the dramatic effect. The dramatic effect was there. If there was still music in the background it would have mostly sounded like "da da da dun ba ba bum" in a really deep tone. But there was no music and there was no dramatic tone. There was nothing but silence as Troy stood completely still. It was all silent for a moment until everyone started laughing. They knew that Troy could be wacky but they never knew he could be like this. It was a whole new level for him. There was no way his story could have been true. Everyone knew beasts were just like elves and unicorns - they didn't exist. Too much smoke from the last explosion of an invention must have gone to his head. Let the teasing begin.

"So it must be a huge beast then." Jackie said holding in her giggles.

"Huge!" Troy nodded his head rapidly as he looked at the girls. "Even taller than that guy!" he pointed at the tallest guy in the room.

"With a snout uglier than a pit bull's?" Emma added.

"Or a fire-breathing dragon?" Lea added for emphasis.

"Even worse than those put together!" Troy exclaimed. "It was more like a lion's and a bear's snout!"

"Oh so then he must have had sharp yellow fangs to match." Jackie assumed, still playing along.

"Yes, yes!" Troy continued. "He could rip through solid wood without flinching!"

The buff guys started laughing, as well as the girls. One of the strong ones knocked troy down so he fell backwards and looking up at Sharpay like she was upside-down.

"Will you help me?" Troy begged.

The guys continued laughing as they began surrounding Troy, ready to take him down upon Sharpay's command.

"Alright Troy, calm down." Sharpay said ever so sweetly. It was time to end his antics for good and she was going to make sure he would shut up now. "We'll lend you a little hand." She smirked to the guys and nodded. They took him by the arms and lifted him up, carrying him back towards the doors. But Troy was caught in Sharpay's words, saying how they'd all help him. He was overjoyed to hear that. He'd be able to take down the beast and get his sister back and put his family back together. Oh what a happy day that would be.

"Oh thank you, thank you. Thank you so much." he replied eagerly as he was carried towards the doors. But then wait a minute.... Where were they taking him? Why wasn't anyone following them? "Wait...wait a minute...." But before he could say anything else, Troy was thrown out of the house and into a large pile of snow outside and in the cold weather. "Whoa!" he gasped before he fell face first into it, the frozen water able to cover more than half of his body and he was now buried in it.

The buff guys just laughed as they closed the doors so the warm air from the fireplace would stay in. One leaned up against the other laughing as they walked back to their places in the house. It was almost too much for them.

"Kooky old Troy, huh?" one of them chuckled, despite the fact that Troy was no older than his early twenty's as well.

"Yeah," the other laughed, "always count on him to lighten the mood with a laugh and a tall tale."

They walked by Sharpay and she laced her fingers together. She raised an eyebrow. Now that was definitely something interesting to hear. "Kooky old Troy, huh?" she asked herself. She thought about it for a minute and nodded to herself, just pondering the idea for a moment. "Kooky old Troy, huh?"

At that point, Ryan walked back over to her with a fresh cup of soda pop. "So what'd I miss?" he asked, apparently gone to the bathroom throughout Troy's entire appearance. Now technically, he would have missed everything. But Sharpay was going to tell him differently. So she smiled slightly and took the cup from him gently, moving it to a coffee table not too far from her chair.

_"Ryan I'm afraid I've been thinking"_

Ryan blinked as he watched the cup disappear from his grasp and looked at his sister.

_"Something you don't enjoy"_

Sharpay nodded. She then pointed towards the door that Troy had been 'escoreted' out of and held her hand just barely above the ground, most likely a centimeter away from the floor at the highest.

_"I know_

_But that crazy hot guy is Tay's brother_

_And he's only sane by this much"_

She slipped her arm around her brother even though he was completely confused as to what was going on. When had Troy even walked inside? Butt hat didn't stop Sharpay from continuing. She used him to help her get out of her seat and she used her song to spell everything out to Ryan so he would be able to follow her. And if that didn't work, she'd have to resort to good old fashioned explaining.

_"Now the wood in my mind has been burning_

_Since I looked at that guy's eyes_

_See I promised myself I'd get Tay out of the way_

_And right now I've got the perfect plan"_

With a confused Ryan, she pulled him in closer and started whispering in his ear. Yup, she was going the old fashioned way to try and get everything into his head by talking. Maybe Sharpay was getting tired of having to do that road every time but she was going to need Ryan's help and she knew he wouldn't say no to his own twin.

"If I..." she lowered her voice and started whispering.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked eagerly as she kept whispering.

"Then we..." she continued, starting to whisper again. No way she was going to let everyone else in the room know about her diabolical plan.

"No! Really?" Ryan gasped.

Sharpay whispered a little more and then smiled slyly and nodded. "Guess."

"Now I get it!" Ryan exclaimed.

Sharpay nodded at her brother, a little more content now. "Let's go!" they exclaimed at the same time, practically reading each others' minds. The grabbed each others' hands and started doing a partner dance to a fast pace, causing everyone around to watch them. Their voices joined once again, matching harmony for harmony.

_"No one schemes like Sharpay"_

Sharpay's voice took over, leaving Ryan's out in the cold as he dipped her.

_"Makes quick lies like Sharpay."_

Ryan scooped Sharpay up and helped her dance under his arm, then back under his arm, his voice taking temporary control.

_"Plans to eliminate her enemies like Sharpay."_

Everyone joined in for one final verse and watched as Sharpay strutted towards the window and let all of her guests bask in her glory while Ryan walked behind her like a real gentleman and...well let a few people who were interested in him bask in his glory as well.

_"So her revenge we'll soon be celebrating_

_My what a gal! Sharpay"_

And while everyone inside was all cheering and having the time of their lives, Troy was wandering around outside in the freezing weather. He continued looking all around, wondering if he could ever find someone to believe him. Everyone in that house had shut him out and now it was up to him to find someone else who could help him...anyone else.

"Please...someone help me."

* * *

The chapter was not as long as I hoped it would be. It was a bit difficult with the song in it, and that being the main focus of the chapter. Hope the song turned out decently. For the three girls' names in it I had three different names originally but I changed them to Emma, Jackie, and Lea as a way of combining those friends of Sharpay from the second movie into the story. Yeah it was kind of a burst of the moment thing. Sorry there wasn't anything close to Chaylor action in here, but we needed to learn more about our main antagonist as well. And as far as she knows the prince as mentioned in chapter one, it will be introduced later on into the story. One more reminder, I'll be working pretty much all weekend so that's a couple of days without any updates. I will try and come up with ideas in advance so any chapters from this or another story can get up sooner but I can't make any promises. I will be off now and be back on later...or to upload another chapter. Whichever comes first. xD


	9. Chapter 8

Hope the wait for this chapter wasn't too long. I'm very anxious to get to the next song (no it's not in this chapter). This week is going to be a little crazy because of working and possibly hanging out with friends, and I don't know what else. I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something. And after checking my calender I have found out that there's less than a week till the first day of summer. Everyone get ready to enjoy summer...cause I know I'm trying to. XD Moving on now, we're back to the castle so there's a little more C&T action. Hopefully something is in here that everyone can enjoy. Now to say thanks to reviews for the last chapter:Rockyshadow, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Digigirl02, and Coornique Chaylor Girl. And in response to CCG's review I have this to say: really, me organized? lol Kind of ironic because I'm a very disorganized person. Review as much as you like because the story is not going anywhere...well, unless it decides to get up and walk away somehow. xD Thank you very much.  
Disclaimer: I own neither.

* * *

Taylor remained on what was her new bed, even while a powerful snow storm brewed just outside the castle. While the pounding of the snowflakes against the windows or walls and the cold air finding a way to escape inside would be nearly enough to bother anyone, Taylor didn't seem the least bit distracted by it. It's didn't faze her as much as being locked in a castle with some monster, never being able to see her brother again. Surely that would be enough to stress anyone. Right now she just wanted to remain in her room. Forget about any plans the so-called master had for her or whatever his servants said she should do. Taylor was going to make it her mission to stay in her room. It it weren't for a knock on her door, she wouldn't have even removed herself from the bed. She picked her head up from her knees and glanced over at the wooden doors. Taylor honestly didn't want to talk to anyone right now, but still it would be impolite not to answer. And prisoner or not, she was still technically a guest in the castle.

"Who is it?" she managed to reply, though her response came much quieter than she had anticipated. Hiding her emotions was not going to be as easy as she thought.

"Tea time, hon." a much more calm almost chipper female's voice appeared from the other side of the door.

Taylor moved some strands of hair out of her face, trying to appear not as upset as she had felt for she didn't even know how long now. Getting to her feet, the young woman walked over to the door and slowly opened it. She only opened it a crack for starters, but at least then that way it would be much harder for anyone to get into the room. What baffled her, however, was the fact that when she looked out into the corridor, no one was there. She quirked an eyebrow at the sight, knowing for sure she had heard a knock and a voice. And yet, she still heard footsteps. Taylor took a step back to try and get a better look outside, only to continue hearing the footsteps and a voice coming from beneath her. Bringing her eyes down towards the tiled floor, she saw a tea pot actually come in on its own with a small tea cup. What made it more surprising was the fact that not only was the tea pot talking, but it was with the same voice Taylor heard seconds ago.

"Thought you might like a little bit of tea."

Taken aback by this, Taylor took a few steps backwards across the room and towards the wall adjacent to her bed. "But you're...how did you?" Of course she was naturally caught off guard, as this was not supposed to be happening. If anything it had to be a dream. Tea pots were inanimate objects and were incapable of speech. Unless someone was pulling a ventriloquist act and make it sound like the object was talking, of course. But that could not have been the case. How else would it be walking - or hopping - into her room on its own. The next thing Taylor knew, she backed into the wardrobe that had been beside her bed. As an involuntary reaction, she jumped away and looked at the wardrobe. The lining around the edges and drawers were a light pink, perhaps something of a salmon shade, and most of the coating appeared to be a pale yellow. It was almost outlines like a woman's body, from the head of the wardrobe down to the bottom. A more closer look revealed that it was more in the shape of the upper half of a woman's body, with a few small curls at the top of it that almost resembled hair. As if that weren't freaky enough, a giggle actually escaped the wardrobe. It was one thing for such an object to have such a similarity to a human form, but to sound like one as well had to be absurd!

"Careful." the wardrobe giggled.

Taylor placed her hand to her head, trying to convince herself that she was hallucinating. Perhaps she had gotten a fever at some point. Or at least a headache. She made sure to see if her forehead was feeling warm yet surely enough, it felt at just perfect room temperature. So she wasn't running a temperature. Her head also had an incredible lack of throbbing so it couldn't have been a headache. And aside from her heart, no other part of her body was aching. There had to be a logical explanation for this.

"This can't be real." she shook her head, letting herself fall to sit on her bed once more.

"That's probably what anyone else would say." the wardrobe replied leaning up against the bed, almost making Taylor jump at the sudden weight put against it. "But, here we are."

The tea cup smiled and looked over at the tea pot. "See Gabby? I told you she was pretty."

Gabriella smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes you did, Donny. Let's put that aside from now." She leaned forward and poured some hot tea from her nozzle into Donny, and the tea cup happily hopped over towards Taylor, who was now getting off the bed to pick him up. She took his handle gently and brought the edge of the tea cup to her lips, taking a small sip of the tea. Yet Donny couldn't suppress any form of laughter for long. "That tickles."

Taylor quickly held Donny away from her. "I'm sorry." she apologized.

But Donny saw that as his perfect opportunity. "Hey wanna see me do a trick?" he asked eagerly. Holding in his breath, numerous bubbles escalated towards the rims of the tea cup, making numerous pops upon reaching contact with air. To Donny, being the seemingly pre-teen that he was, he thought the trick was very entertaining and especially funny.

"Donny..." Gabriella sighed, trying to hold in a few giggles of her own. She just didn't have the heart to get angry at her little brother.

Taking notice of how rude he might have sounded, Donny took a deep breath and the last of the bubbles that had appeared in the tea disappeared. "Ooops...sorry."

Gabriella shook her head at him and turned her attention to Taylor. After all, the girl could use a few friendly faces around the castle. "It was very brave what you did there earlier."

The wardrobe nodded in agreement. "We all think so."

Taylor appreciated their generosity and what they were trying to do to make her feel better, but it didn't make up for what did happen. "But I lost my brother. I can't leave here. I can't see him anymore or go back home."

"Try and stay positive." Gabriella suggested. "Things always have a way of turning around. You'll see. It will work out in no time." She then giggled and made her way towards the door. "There I go blabbing again. I'm here trying to make the sun come out when I should be helping out with dinner. Come on Donny, let's go."

"Coming." Donny replied as he jumped out of Taylor's hand and followed his sister out of the room. "Catch ya later!" he called to Taylor as the doors closed behind him.

"Looks like now that means it's time for you to pick out something nice for dinner." the wardrobe said as Taylor stood up and leaned against one of the pillars on the bed. The wardrobe thought for a minute and then grinned widely. "Let's see what I have inside of me!" she said eagerly as she opened both of her drawers. The second she opened them, numerous old records came tumbling out and onto the floor. A faint shade of red appearing on her yellow cheeks, she giggled and quickly closed the drawers. "So sorry, how embarrassing." She cleared her throat and then only opened one side of the drawers and used the other side as an arm to pull out a dress. "Let's see, what do we have here...? Oh, here we go. You'll look amazing in this one. And it's really something you can easily dance around in." She offered it to Taylor, but she held her hand up to politely decline.

"That's nice of you to offer..." she started, and then realized she had no idea what to call the wardrobe. So if the tea cup's name was Donny, and the tea pot's was Gabby - most likely short for Gabriella, that was Taylor's first guess - then what was the wardrobe's name?

"Oh, that's so impolite of me not to introduce myself." the wardrobe giggled. "Call me Martha."

Taylor nodded and continued. "Well that's very nice of you to offer, Martha, but I'm not going to dinner tonight."

Martha gasped and closed her doors. "But you really should."

Before she could even continue, both females turned their heads as Taylor's door opened just a crack. It was barely enough for Jason to step in. He cleared his throat and gestured towards the corridor. "Dinner's ready."

---

Downstairs by the fireplace, the Beast constantly paced back and forth on all four's. while his face already expressed plenty of anger as it was, he was looking even more annoyed now. His large shadow reflected against the floor, only making him appear more fierce, and Zeke sat on the shelf just above the fireplace. He watched as his master walked back and forth. And being the peacemaker - and matchmaker, he hoped - that he was, Zeke would have to make sure to sort everything out. Gabriella, on the other hand, had arrived only moments before and stood beside Zeke. With Donny off in the kitchen Gabriella would be assisting Zeke in helping the Beast calm down. After all, who better to give advice about a girl than a girl? Yet before either of them could open their mouths and speak two words, the Beast let his deep, hateful voice take over.

"She isn't here yet. Why didn't she come down for dinner? I told her it wasn't a request." he demanded. So, like any other angry person the Beast did the easiest thing he could think of: blame it on his servants. "Why isn't she here yet? What did you do?"

Gabriella took the master's anger much easier than Zeke did. The Beast would have to try and to understand. "You really should be a bit more patient with her. The poor thing lost her brother and her freedom back to back."

"Master," Zeke added as he made his way closer to the edge of the shelf, "have you ever thought that maybe this young girl is the one that can break the spell?"

"Of course I knew that!" the Beast yelled, looking at the candelabra straight in the eye. Then he rolled his eyes and muttered as he returned to his pacing, "Who are you, Dr. Phil?"

"I almost wish." Zeke chuckled, hearing what the Beast had said to himself.

Gabriella quietly cleared her throat and nudged Zeke, trying to protect him from an angry master once more. Luckily Zeke caught onto the message. He lit one of his candles and then the other one, sounding much more happy now. It was almost as though he was trying to portray a more happy-go-lucky Dr. Phil.

"Sweet. It's perfect, then. You fall in love with her, she falls in love with you..." he then blew out the tiny flames on his candles before they lit back up on their own. "...and ding, the spell's broken. We'll be human again in no time!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Zeke, but it's not going to be that simple. Falling for someone and even bringing one's self to admitting it takes time." Gabriella said with an apologetic look. "And after everything that happened today it's not going to happen overnight. We can't completely meddle into this."

"Ah meddle, shmeddle." Zeke chuckled. "Besides, there's not enough time to consider all that. The rose already started wilting away."

The Beast overheard everything they said and shook his head. He stopped facing and stood in front of the fire. "It's no use." he said mostly to himself shaking his head. "Have you even looked at the girl?"

"But of course. Quite a lovely one, too." Zeke replied.

"Very charming and polite as well." Gabriella added.

"Yes, I think you two would get along rather nicely." Zeke told her.

"Oh, you really think so?" she inquired.

"Definitely. I could see you two becoming fast friends in no time." Zeke nodded.

"That's exactly my point." the Beast interrupted. He was on the verge of even seeing her face in the fire as he watched it burn away at the wood and the remaining smoke escaped up through the chimney. "She's just so hot and I'm..." he ran his paw through the mess of curls that covered his body and then took a look at how big his paw even was. He growled and glared at the two of them. "And well, look at me!"

Zeke and Gabriella exchanged glances. Being a guy it should have been much easier for Zeke to say something encouraging to their master. Maybe something like, 'looks aren't all that important', 'it's the look of the girl that matters', or even something like, 'try winning her over with some of your talents or a fresh creme brulee from the oven'. But Zeke only shrugged his shoulders at Gabriella. The way he saw it, it would be much easier for a girl to explain this. After all, sometimes the females weren't as shallow as the males could be. And Gabriella was the furthest thing from shallow in the room. Gabriella bit her tongue as she looked at the clueless Zeke. She spent a moment trying to come up with the calmest and sincerest response. It had to be something that would lift the master's spirits and give him the rare boost of confidence that he needed.

"The important thing is that you help her see past all that." she replied.

The Beast shook his head, being as stubborn as ever. That, and most likely shallow because he was merely thinking about his guest's looks, but right now his stubbornness was in control. "I don't know how." he said right away, not bothering to look at either of them.

It was talk like that, that made Gabriella determined. She hated seeing anyone looking so down or depressed so she would do whatever it took to get them back on their feet. She jumped down from the shelf and made her way over to a nearby table. "Well then the first thing is first. If you're going to pay attention to her looks then she should pay attention to yours. Try and make yourself a little more decent. Straighten up a little, don't slouch when you stand or sit." Right on command, the beast sat on all fours with his chest puffed out and his back straight with his tail resting around his hind legs and on the rug. "And don't forget to try and act like a gentleman. It really impresses girls." she added.

Zeke nodded in agreement and jumped down, starting to add in to Gabriella's advice. "Yes, exactly. When she walks in through the door you need to give her that charming, dashing smile." Zeke even gave his best smile to back up how well it worked. At least, Zeke always thought he had such a nice smile. If it worked like a charm for him it should do the trick for the Beast. "Come on, show us what you've got."

The Beast paused for a minute, then tried to give his best smile. He attempted to mimic Zeke's but it only came out as more of a crooked smile - and a very toothy one, at that.

"Just make sure you don't scare her either." Gabriella said, making his face fall.

"Impress her. Show her a good time." Zeke added.

"But be gentle."

"Always shower her with confidence. It will make her feel better about herself."

"But be sincere. Honesty is always the most important factor in a relationship."

"And the most important thing is..."

The Beast was getting more than frustrated. Even when his giant paws covered his tiny disproportionate ears he could still hear them with their constant advice-giving and nagging. When would they shut up? Wasn't he just fine with girls the way he was? A few tips, sure everyone could use them. Bu this was going overboard. Even just looking back and forth between them so quickly as they yakked on and on gave him a headache. The Beast just couldn't take it anymore. What more was there to tell him?

But as soon as that question entered his mind, Gabriella and Zeke spoke so insistently at the same time. "You have to control your temper!" And before the Beast could even respond to that, the three turned to the doors and saw the handle turning. The Beast's jaw dropped. He wasn't ready for this. She couldn't be here already. What were all those tips he was supposed to have, again? He couldn't remember a thing!

Zeke gasped, amazed at how quickly time went by just by all that talking. "She's here, she's here!"

But when the door opened, no one entered. Assuming it was another servant, the three brought their heads down and saw it was Jason sheepishly entering the room. Jason chuckled faintly and gave his best smile. "Um...hello everyone."

The Beast groaned. All that worrying he just did in his head for nothing. Last he checked, Jason was not his date for the evening. As if the clock would even make an attractive woman. "So, where is she?" the Beast questioned, trying to keep his voice low just in case Taylor was outside the doorway and would be able to hear everything they were saying.

Jason was now standing straight in front of the cracked open door. "Who?"

"The girl." the Beast replied.

"What girl?" he asked innocently.

"The one I invited to dinner."

"You invited a girl to dinner?"

"You were supposed to get her in her room."

"What room?"

"The room where she's staying."

"Where who's staying?"

This was going absolutely nowhere. And the master was on the verge of losing his temper once again. Was Jason just being clueless or was he trying to stall for time? Zeke sighed and jumped down, making his way over to his companion. He knew the easiest way to get through to Jason sometimes, especially after long exchanges such as that when Jason would lose the point and definitely become confused. Zeke cleared his throat and placed his arm on Jason's shoulder. He spoke as simply as he could.

"Pretty person upstairs who can fix us."

Jason blinked, still a bit confused at first. "Hm?" Then he laughed, able to remember as soon as he spoke. "Oh, her. Why didn't you say so? You see, it's really a funny story actually. See I went to her room...and then all of a sudden, giant birds flew into the window. And...and they stole all of the clothes in her room. Then they flew back out and a monkey dropped a lion through the roof and it fell into her room...."

Still, the Beast was not thrilled. He stood there with his furry arms folded and tapping one of his sharp clawed fingers against the fur. His front fangs were showing and he was glaring at Jason, trying to convince him to get to the point and skip the unbelievable wild stories. Besides, who would even believe a monkey holding a lion anyway? Jason noticed this and his face fell instantly. Better get on with it...fast. So he just came out and bluntly said it.

"She's not coming."

There was complete silence for a minute. Not a single sound echoed through the castle. If anyone walked in there that very second they would most likely say the place was deserted. However, the silence didn't even last long. Just seconds later, a furious, deep scream bounced off the walls and even made the pigeons outside sitting on the fence in front of the castle fly off in fear.

"WHAT???!!!?"

That was when the Beast burst through the doors and ran on all fours upstairs, his paws pounding against the carpet. He was angrier than he had been all day. There was no other way to describe his face, his anger, or his actions. It was all over so fast. Because less than three seconds later, he nearly skidded across the floor before jumping to his feet and pounding on Taylor's bedroom door.

"I thought I told you to come down for dinner!"

Zeke sighed and shook his head as he, Gabriella, and Jason arrived moments later, having tried to catch up with their master in his rush from their previous room to their current location. Gabriella's face fell and Jason twiddled his thumbs. They looked almost everywhere except directly at their master, yet they could still hear his voice as well as Taylor's voice replying to his behind the closed doors.

"I'm not hungry."

That made the Beast only angrier. He hadn't met a single stubborn person since...well, himself. No wonder everyone seemed so irritated sometimes. It was downright ridiculous. And not to mention the fact that she was actually speaking to him out of all people that way? What was the stupid world coming to? The Beast raised his voice, and if possible, sounding more annoyed and furious than he already was.

"You come out or...or...OR I'LL BREAK THE DOOR DOWN!"

This was not working out well at all. If anything, he was scaring her - or perhaps angering her - more. Being the loyal servants that they all were, they had to step in. It was what was best for them and their master.

"Um, sir..?" Zeke asked a bit cautiously, causing the Beast to look down at him. "...I could be wrong, but...well the truth is that this may not be the easiest way to win her over."

Jason nodded in agreement and gave his usual smartest and perhaps obvious comment for the day. "Please at least attempt to be gentleman-like."

the Beast put on a forced smile and lowers his voice, pointing to the door. "But she's being so difficult!" He emphasized 'difficult' and glared at the door, hoping that Taylor would hear him and get the message.

"Softly. Gently." Gabriella advised quietly and as calmly as she could.

The Beast had a doubtful look on his face, but he decided he might as well give it a try. With a bored and still doubtful face, he looked at the door slightly. He muttered, but just loud enough for Taylor to hear. "Will you come down to eat dinner with me?"

Unfortunately for him, Taylor's response was as quick and insistent as the previous one. "No."

While the Beast shouldn't be surprised, his eyes still widened from her response. He glared at Gabriella and pointed at the door. Now had he been right, or had he been right?

Jason laughed nervously, trying to help Gabriella out. "Softly and gently..." he replied in a low whisper.

Still with a forced smile, the Beast bowed down to the door and tried to sound as nice as he could, despite the fact that there was still some annoyance present in his voice. "I would be most honored if you would come down and join me for dinner."

"Um...manners?" Jason suggested, which would probably lead to the last straw.

With the same doubtful look, the Beast looked back at the door. "Please."

But Taylor's reply was even louder and more icy than before. She refused to give into him. "No thank you."

The eyes of the supposed inanimate objects widened. They couldn't believe what they just heard. They had tried everything they could think of to prepare for tonight. They gave advice to their master, they tried to help him, they helped prepare food...what more could they do?

"You can't stay in there forever!" the Beast yelled.

"Yes I can. It's not that hard." she argued.

"Fine!" he fought. "THEN GO AHEAD AND STARVE!" Still burning with anger, the Beast turned to his servants and kept his voice range the same. "If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat AT ALL." With a mighty roar, he got back down on all fours and sped down the hallway, out of sight before anyone could make any comments, protest, or do anything of the sort. The last they saw of him, was him running through some doors and slamming them quite loudly behind him.

Gabriella sighed and looked at the boys, being the first one to speak. "I'm afraid that didn't go as well as we hoped."

Jason was not going to let this all go to waste. For once he was going to take charge. He was going to speak his mind, and he wasn't going to let this happen again. "Zeke, stay here and guard the door. Inform us at once if she's about to come out. So then we can...." Wait, what was his next line? "So then we can.... So then we can...." Remaining lost, he turned to Gabriella for assistance. "Wait, what am I supposed to say now?"

"Make sure it doesn't happen again." she replied, putting it in the simplest of terms for him.

"Yes, yes that's it exactly!" Jason exclaimed happily. He turned to Zeke and pointed at him. "So we can make sure it doesn't happen again." he finished.

Zeke could have stood there and pointed out how that shouldn't have happened and how maybe he should be the one telling Jason to stand guard and tell him if anything changed, but Zeke decided against it. Besides there was no time left to lose. "You can count on me, my friend. I am not leaving these doors until I know that she comes out of there." With that, he started pacing seriously around the door so he would know right away if anything were to happen.

Jason sighed and slouched as he and Gabriella made their way back downstairs. "Well...we'd better get started on the meal. Who's hungry?"

"Not me." Gabriella replied. The previous scene had really turned off her appetite.

"I am." Jason replied.

---

The doors burst open in what appeared to be a destroyed and worn-out room. Curtains were ripped and dragged across the floor. Old furniture was now the home to numerous dust particles and cobwebs. Barely any light made its way into the room, causing it to be even more dim than it already was. Almost nothing in the room appeared to be in once piece. If an area of the curtains weren't ripped then a small portion of the floor had to be torn off. If none of the floor was torn off then wood desks were broken in half. If those weren't broken in half...well you get the idea. It was a destroyed, dark, and messed up room. And yet somehow the Beast found it a perfect home. As he stormed through the now opened doors, he slammed one of them so it was opened all the way and it would slam against the wall, almost making it sound like something was breaking. Walking past the doors, that particular door moved a crack away from the wall and revealed a dent it made in their material and the paint, also emphasizing the Beast's incredible strength and hatred.

"I ask her nicely and she still says no. I try to be a gentleman and she goes and talks back to me. What else am I supposed to do to her? Beg?"

Even though he was talking to himself, he still spoke as though he were yelling at someone. He stormed past a glowing red rose that almost appeared to be floating under a glass case. With a closer look, it was really a clear glass vase that was over it. No, the rose was not in the vase; the vase was covering it. The glow from the rose almost gave off the feel of enchantment, like a magical vibe was escaping from it. While it still looked quite full, if one's eyes followed the rose from its bright red pedals and down its bright lime green thorn-less stem, to the table top, a few dead petals rested underneath the flower. the petals were just a plain red; they weren't glowing and they weren't as bright as the flower from which they came. As stated by Zeke, the rose was clearly wilting. It would only be a matter of time before the lack of petals would cause the stem to bend and the light escaping from it would surely vanish. It wouldn't be too long after that before the rose would have wilted completely, along with the last chance of escaping the curse. But how much time would it be until then, no one would know.

Beside the rose under its confinement rested a silver mirror. It was small, yet as enchanted as the rose. Swirling stems seemed to circle the silver frame and a few sparkles surrounded the glass, only to exist as living proof of the mirror's power. The Beast's eyes fell onto the mirror and he picked it up, his touch easily able to crush the handle if he desired to do so.

"Show me the girl." he demanded.

In no time at all, the mirror began to glow a bright green. The stem pattern on the frame began to surround the glass and then slowly fade away into it. By the time they were fully implanted into the mirror, the Beast could get a clear vision of where Taylor was. She was on her bed in her room, the same place she had been since he last left her. Martha in her wardrobe form was standing beside her and being her usual perky self, trying to be logical while looking on the bright side of things. The Beast could hear Martha's voice first, which started off as an echo, a mere side effect of the mirror's power.

"The master's not really so bad once you get to know him. He looks harsh on the outside but he's really not that bad of a guy." Martha was saying.

Taylor folded her arms and looked away from Martha. "I don't want to get to know him. I'm not giving him any chances." It was easy to tell Taylor was quite angry by this as well. She turned to face Martha and raised her voice only slightly to prove her point, to show the pain that the Beast had caused her. "I never want anything to do with him."

That was harsh even to the Beast. He arched his back so his head was pulled away from the mirror for a moment. He shook his head and looked away from the mirror. The glass faced the floor and away from him, so he wouldn't have to hear anything else from them or see anything else. His voice became much lower and quieter, yet somehow there wasn't just an angry or irritated tone in his voice. No, there was something else. A hint of anger, most likely. But the annoyance was replaced by something else. It almost seemed as though he seemed, well, saddened by the statement.

"Who am I kidding? She's not gonna see me as a person or past my looks." He pushed the mirror away from him so it was laying face-down on the table again beside the rose. "she'll never see me as anything but a monster."

And as those words escaped him, the rose continued to wilt and another petal fell off and floated down to the ground.

* * *

Ok...not exactly the best ending there. But it seemed like the right place to end for this chapter. Really, who even likes leaving a chapter on a sour note? Almost makes me wanna start writing right away. But before I do that I gotta keep watching the movie and see where a good place would be to end with the next chapter and then replay that scene while I type...it's just a lot to do all in one night. I really wish we could leave on a bright note here with this chapter. And there's only one thing I can think of for that at the moment.... Anyone want popcorn?


	10. Chapter 9

Finally, this is the chapter I've been wanting to type since I started writing the story. You may now be asking, why is that? I'll be honest...it has probably my favorite song in the movie from it. ^^ You remember how a song works, right? At least in this story? Any paragraph before a verse of the song describes what the characters will do as they sing those particular lines. Just to make sure no one gets confused, that's the only reason I'm typing that. Now I do realize I have certain other stories to continue such as Classic Disney meets new Disney, a Week at Lava Springs, and Deleted HSM Scenes, and I apologize times thirty-nine, at least for right now, for putting them off for so long. I just haven't been in a complete writing mood for about a week now, I felt too lazy to type anything. And while I was at work I was busy writing something else...that I am not going to tell anyone about yet because I need to get it in gear and finish Deleted HSM Scenes, at least, before starting any more stories. So now that the blah blah blah and all has been done with, how about we move onto this story? Now to say thanks to the reviews from the previous chapter: Rockyshadow, Mzwendy85, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, and Digigirl02. As soon as I figure out when the halfway point of this story is, I will be sure to say thanks to every single reader so far at the beginning of that chapter, and then of course again once the story is done. Ok, anyone else tired of my yakking? I'm tired of my yakking. On with the story already. XD  
Disclaimer: I do not own HSM or the characters nor do I own Beauty and the Beast. I changed one word to the song, but I do not own the song either.

* * *

Taylor poked her head out of her room, cautiously surveying the looks of the hallway. It was as dark as it was when she had locked herself in the bedroom, and now completely deserted. Everything looked just as it did before; nothing was out of place in the slightest bit. The red rug was still flat against the cold tiled floor, any paintings that hung up from the wall weren't ripped or tilted in the least, and everything appeared to be exactly where it was supposed to be. Surely just from looking at all that it was safe enough to come out. But Taylor wanted to be positive before she did step out of her room. She glanced in the other direction expecting something out of the ordinary, yet it appeared just the same as the previous direction of the hallway. That didn't stop her expectations, however. She wouldn't be surprised at all if the Beast jumped from out of nowhere and attack her. Did he really seem like the kind of guy - figuratively speaking of course - that would do that? Possibly; it was hard to tell. The Beast became angered so easily that Taylor didn't desire to take any chances around him. Luckily for her, there wasn't a sign of anyone around. Taylor didn't care what the Beast said, whether he was the master of the castle or not. She could already hear her stomach rumbling so she was going to get some food even if he didn't approve. Stepping out of the bedroom and quietly closing the door behind her, the young girl began to creep down the corridor. she walked past some curtains which, must like the rest of the area, was in one piece. What she was unaware of was that there were three dim lights coming from behind them. By the time Taylor was gone and further down the hall, faint chuckling and giggling came from behind the satin curtains.

"Oooh monsieur..."

The accent almost sounded British. Shortly after, a French-ish accent followed pursuit.

"Oui oui..."

Zeke found himself spinning out from behind the curtains, almost as if he had just woken up from a quite pleasant dream. He put his hand to his head, trying to keep himself standing still and so everything wouldn't look like it was spinning. Tiara followed from behind, looking quite dazed herself.

"That French accent really turns me on," she said, though it sounded like she was still coming to.

"Well then perhaps we should go another round." Zeke replied with a smile in his heaviest possible accent. He took Tiara and dipped her, only to pick his head up and gasp, dropping her seconds later. "Oh mon Dieu! She has emerged!" His eyes landed on Taylor, who had already made her way down the hall and was nearly out of sight. Leaving Tiara where she was and slightly confused, Zeke made his way down the corridor as fast as he could to catch up with Taylor.

---

"Alright Donny, into the cupboard. Time for you to go to sleep." Gabriella said as she helped her little brother into the cabinet where numerous other tea cups were already sleeping.

"But I'm not tired." Donny groaned with a yawn.

"Yes you are." Gabriella giggled.

"No I'm not..." Donny replied, his voice fading. In a matter of minutes, his sleepiness did indeed get the better of him and Gabriella was able to close the cupboard doors. She made it look so easy, too. All she had to do was quietly and calmly tell him how tired he was, and then after no more than five minutes of arguing Donny would grow more tired and fall asleep shortly afterward. But that didn't mean the peacefulness lasted too long.

"What do I do, slave over a hot stove and no one even eats a crumb? I made my semi-world famous steaks and it's all ignored."

"Oh calm down Jack. I know you made such a nice meal for the master and his guest but she's had a long day and needs some rest. It's been a pretty long day for all of us, too." Gabriella told the irritated stove. After all, she was merely trying to be reasonable. Jack just so happened to get annoyed easily, especially when it involved a favorite dish of his. It was something everyone in the castle - mainly the master - was supposed to enjoy but tonight no one could care less.

"But I even put extra sauce on it." Jack complained.

"Well we can't worry about making food for her until she comes out." Gabriella replied.

"Come out? Yeah right." Jason replied as he wiped his hands, most likely just after washing them. "If you want one dude's opinion the girl's being just plain old stubborn. Bet she won't be coming out for a good million years."

"But Jason you know this could be our master's last chance. If he doesn't learn to control his temper and allow her to fall for him then there won't be any hope for any of us." Gabriella said.

"Thank you for that update, Ms. Happy-Go-Lucky." Jason said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "But at the rate we're going it's gonna be plain impossible to break the spe-"

But before he could finish his statement, the kitchen door cracked open and Taylor slowly stepped inside upon hearing conversation. Jason cut himself right off and spun right around to her as she came in.

"Splendid to see you up and about." he told her quickly with his best smile. "I'm Jason, the castle's resident clown..."

Taylor smiled and made her way over to Jason, kneeling down to get a better look at the clock. She no longer seemed surprised at any of the objects, aware that the castle must have been enchanted or magical. And all except for the Beast of course, everyone seemed nice enough. And so polite. She was about to take Jason's hand, which he was going to give her a proper French greeting...until Zeke rushed in and slid in front of Jason, taking Taylor's hand before Jason even had a chance to touch it. Jason rolled his eyes and tried to sound as casual as he could, though his tone still spoke with jealousy, thanks to the fact that Zeke had once again beaten him to the punch.

"And this is Zeke."

"Monsieur Baylor." Zeke said bowing and kissing Taylor's hand, trying his best to keep Jason out of the way while he wooed her. "Bonjour, mademoiselle."

Jason tried to push his way through Zeke to get his turn, but being that the two friends were so competitive with each other, especially when it came to girls, Zeke wouldn't let Jason pass. And with Zeke's flexible candelabra body he was able to move almost any which way to prevent Jason from stepping forward, even going so far as to stick his behind so close to Jason's face. Jason was only able to say everything in fragments through the minor battle.

"If there's.... Anything we can do.... To make your stay.... More comfortable.... Then please...." He finally got past Zeke, only to have Taylor lift her hand up so Jason would have to settle for a smile and bow. "Please let us know." he finished. Second later Zeke got his usual revenge by briefly striking Jason's hand with his tiny flame and burning his hand. Jason gasped and jumped at the pain, trying to cool his hand down. He should have been used to that by now.

"Well, I am a little hungry." Taylor admitted.

"You are?" Gabriella gasped with a wide smile. She couldn't contain her excitement. She hopped all around the kitchen waking up everyone - or rather everything - that was sleeping in there to give them to good news. "Did you hear that? She's hungry! Start the fire. Wake the chimes. Bring out the silver."

Jack started his fire up right away, happy that his cooking would finally get the attention it desired. The tea sets opened up the cabinets for all the cups to come out and opened the drawers where dishes and utensils sat up at an instant. Jason, however, appeared a bit uncomfortable.

"Remember what the master said..." he muttered to Gabriella.

"Relax Jason. It's just some food. We can't have anyone going hungry now can we?" Gabriella replied as she monitored everyone moving from their 'beds' to the tables.

"Oh alright, fine." he caved, not in much of a mood to argue at the moment. "But we shouldn't feed her out here or in the dining room. We'd be safer bringing her back to her room with dinner or maybe to the dungeon with some ice cream..."

"Jay, I can't believe you'd say any of that!" Zeke gasped.

"What, about eating ice cream in the dungeon?" Jason raised an eyebrow. "But it keeps the food so cold in there."

"That's not what I'm talking about." he replied, bonking Jason on the head with his elbow. "She's not our prisoner, she's our guest. We should make her feel welcome here." He turned to Taylor who had already stood up and seemed so content about the kindness they were all displaying. "Come mademoiselle, right this way." Zeke told her, leading her out the doors towards the dining room.

"But we really should keep it down." Jason said. "If the master finds out he'll probably have our heads. Especially if we're so loud."

"Of course, of course." Zeke nodded, holding the door opened so Taylor could walk through. "But what is dinner without a little music?"

Jason's eyes widened as Zeke walked through the doors. The small clock tried to rush through the doors, but since they didn't slam shut and swung in and out, the door his Jason on the back swing and flung him to the other side of the kitchen.

"Music?"

Zeke was already in the dining room and hopping onto the table. he looked overhead to see a spotlight hit him from the ceiling as Taylor stopped at the end of the rather long table. He cleared his throat as he picked up a straw and used it to spin around what looked like a little hat for him and right into his hands. "It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair..." As if on cue, a chair came from almost nowhere and got behind Taylor, allowing her to plant herself down in it and at the table where she was able to watch Zeke. Simultaneously, a cart of dishes, utensils, etc, were waiting just behind the kitchen doors for their cue to arrive. Zeke finished as he then pointed to a few members of the tea set who appeared under a spotlight of their own and put his little hat over his head, "...as the dining room proudly presents your dinner."

A smile came across Taylor's face as Zeke started to pull out a few minor dance moves, just to move to the beat of the music. The members of the tea set that had been behind him started backing him up in the background with their own moves. Zeke started with the singing first before anyone else would join in.

_"Be...our...guest_

_Be our guest_

_Put our service to the test,"_

The chair offered a napkin to tie around Taylor's neck for the meal, but Taylor politely declined and set it out on her lap instead. She looked back to the table to see a small jar pouring hot soup into a bowl walking by. Zeke came back over as soon as the dishes walked by with a large silver plate and a cover over it. He smiled and removed the cover with plenty of appetizers. Some looked crunchy, others creamy...and in so many different colors, too. She stuck her finger in one of the creamier foods that looked almost chocolaty but much grayer in color, upon Zeke's suggestion of course. Her face lit up as soon as the food melted on her taste buds; it actually was quite tasty despite the fact that it almost looked unappetizing.

_"Tie your napkin 'round your neck, Cherie  
_

_And we provide the rest_

_Soup de jour_

_Hot hors d'oeuvres_

_Why, we only live to serve_

_Try the gray stuff, it's delicious_

_Don't believe me, ask the dishes."_

Out from the china cabinet, dishes burst out and started spinning around like they were quarters on a table and ended up piling on top of each other to form much what looked like the Eiffel Tower and glistened under the bright spotlight.

_"They can sing_

_They can dance_

_After all, Miss, this is France_

_And the dinner here is never second best."_

Zeke went right over to her with a menu and placed it in her hands. Taylor looked through it for a few seconds only to have Zeke once again appear from behind it and almost lean up against the top of the menu. He jumped down and got to the middle of the table as numerous dishes with foods started making their way around him and passing by Taylor.

_"Go on, unfold your menu_

_Take a glance and then you'll_

_Be our guest_

_Oui, our guest_

_Be our guest."_

The dishes joined in with the singing. First what almost looked like steak or some other kind of meat passed by in a pan, followed by a freshly made fully puffed up cheese souffle, then two different desserts. Taylor tried a small piece of the souffle and then lifted up the cover for one of the other dishes after a small glass of chocolate mousse passed by. Jason poked his head out from the pudding, which was under the cover that Taylor had picked up. And once the words 'en flambe' were said, Zeke stuck one of his candles in the pudding but instead of burning the food he ended up burning Jason instead, making him faint back into the food and the dish hopped away with the pudding.

_"Beef ragout_

_Cheese souffle_

_Pie and pudding 'en flambe'"_

Zeke slid across the table in front of a rather large punch bowl where numerous silver spoons had appeared. They stood on top of the punch bowl, right at the edge. They began jumping into the drink one by one and then followed with some synchronized swimming. Zeke continued to let his voice fill the empty instrumentals. He even ended up ready to jump on one of the plate and slide across the punch.

_"We'll prepare and service with flair_

_A culinary cabaret  
_

_You're alone_

_And you're scared_

_But the banquet's all prepared_

_No one's gloomy or complaining_

_While the flatware's entertaining_

_We tell jokes_

_I do tricks_

_With my fellow candlesticks,"_

A large group of bass-leveled singing pitchers and jugs popped up around Taylor with soda almost flowing out of their mouths, rather their tops, because they were holding so much. An even number standing across from each other on both ends of the table, they began jumping from small sea-saws, which were merely spoons tilting against a coaster, and seemingly flying across the table. Every time one pitcher or jug landed, another one was flung off its current spoon and jumping across to the other side.

_"And it's all in perfect taste_

_That you can bet_

_Come on and lift your glass_

_You've won your own free pass_

_To be our guest."_

As Zeke's voice took over, solely singing the next two lines, Jason had gotten himself out of the pudding and was finishing wiping himself off with a large laced napkin.

_"If you're stressed_

_It's fine dining we suggest"_

Jason picked up his head and gasped as one of the jugs was off aim and was being aimed right for him. He started running as fast as he could on his stumpy little legs while the jug aimed for him head first. At the same time Zeke's voice chorused with the other pitchers and jugs.

_"Be our guest_

_Be our guest_

_Be our guest"_

Jason ended up tumbling and falling, the jug right on top of him. He wasn't sure exactly how, bot one way or another he ended up inside the jug - or the jug's mouth. Either way his head was sticking out of the jug. Zeke slumped in his posture as he made his way over to Jason. He swung his arm around his friend and Jason went from one of Zeke's candles to the other, blowing them right out. Zeke continued to be the sole singer.

_"Life is so unnerving_

_For a servant who's not serving_

_He's not whole without a soul to wait upon_

_Ah, those good old days when we were useful_

_Suddenly those good old days are gone."_

He put his hand over his head and fell dramatically into Jason's arms. Jason rolled his eyes at Zeke's act.

"Oh brother." he muttered.

That's when Zeke stood right up again and looked all over him, as well as Jason, for any signs of rusting. He ran in circles around Jason; this annoyed the clock and he tried escaping from Zeke, only to evidently be tripped by him and fall onto one of the spoons that was still against one of the coasters.

_"Three years we're been rusting_

_Needing so much more than dusting_

_Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills,"_

Jason rubbed his head after he landed. He looked over at Zeke, who took in a deep breath to make him appear fatter, then let out too much air so he looked skinnier than he already was as a candelabra. he slumped over, then almost looked like he was about to do a tap dance with a top hat and stick. Jason's eyes widened, seeing where Zeke was going with this.

_"Most days we just lay around the castle_

_Flabby, fat and lazy..."_

"Wait a minute...no, don'!"

_"You walked in and oops-a-daisy!"_

With a big old smile, Zeke jumped and landed on the opposite end of the spoon that Jason was one, making him fly across the table screaming.

The music and the mood really began to lighten up once Gabriella took over the singing. In the kitchen she was putting the last of everything back together. She hopped around the sink singing cheerfully as bottles of wine rolled on by. Napkins came out and folded themselves into the perfect elegant form, almost appearing like ballgowns as they danced around Gabriella. As the napkins danced away, Gabriella began spinning around with Donny almost like they were partners in a dance contest.

_"It's a guest_

_It's a guest_

_Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed_

_Wine's been poured and thank the Lord_

_I've had the napkins freshly pressed_

_With dessert_

_She'll want tea_

_And my dear, that's fine with me_

_While the cups do their soft shoeing_

_I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing"_

Before she knew it, Gabriella was dancing beside Jack as he pulled out some more food from his hot oven. Upon seeing a small stain on her, Gabriella called for a table cloth and got it wiped off right away. The final cart rolled on past her and she jumped on with her brother, standing side by side with some salt and pepper shakers as well as the final jar holding some sugar. The cart rolled into the dinning room and the flour jar put a lump of sugar in Donny, who now had a fresh warm drink in his little tea cup form, upon Taylor's request of course.

_"I'll get warm_

_Piping hot_

_Heaven's sake, is that a spot?_

_Clean it up! We want the company impressed_

_We've got a lot to do_

_Is it one lump or two_

_For you our guest?"_

Jason popped his head back up at the table, having made his way from being flung across the dining room rather than just across the table. He gasped and almost lost his balance as more of the silverware joined the chorus, almost dancing over his hands as his fingers gripped the edge of the table so he wouldn't fall off.

_"She's our guest."_

Gabriella giggled and added to that.

_"She's our guest."_

The chorus repeated once again as Jason managed to jump back on top of the table.

_"She's our guest."_

Jason looked around behind him hearing even more singing. He gasped and tried to make a get away as Tiara and the other feather dusters started doing the can-can across the table, moving forward with each step they took.

"Wait don't come over here...is no one listening?" Jason gasped while they all sang.

_"Be our guest_

_Be our guest_

_Our command is your request"_

Jason managed to get away from the feather dusters temporarily and then the flatware and silverware took over. The plates rolled across the table, the spoons and forks jumped across it in the opposite direction the plates were going, and some of the tea cups were trying to add their own little moves in between it all, even though they mainly ended up doing dances more like the Hokey Pokey instead. Hey, the tea cups were mostly kids or preteens, remember?

_"It's three years_ _since we've had anybody here_

_And we're obsessed_

_With your meal_

_With your ease_

_Yes, indeed, we aim to please."_

In one long line, all the candelabras were leaning forward with their candles lit. they slowly began rising, each pair across from each other as they went down the row.

_"While the candlelight's still glowing_

_Let us help you_

_We'll keep going,"_

Once they all stood up the spotlight fell on Zeke once more, his really did look like he was going to do a tap dance with a top hat and stick. Behind him were numerous other enchanted objects joining in with the singing as they all combined their voices together once again.

_"Course by course_

_One by one_

_'Till you shout, 'Enough I'm done!'_

_And we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest"_

Curtains came from out of nowhere and opened up as the remainder of the utensils appeared atop a chandelier dancing and basking in the glow of its own candle lights. Zeke sat himself down on the tall white cake he had just been dancing on and put his feet - or where his feet would be, anyway - up so they'd look like they were resting up on a chair, and placed his arms behind his head so he looked like so he was relaxing. He even took a small bit of the frosting and stuck it in his mouth.

_"Tonight you'll prop your feet up_

_But for now, let's eat up_

_Be our guest,"_

Jason slid back into the middle of the table where the feather dusters were once again doing the can-can around him. A smile really grew on his face as he finally got into the music. He rocked his arms back and forth and started tapping his feet to the music. The spoons jumped back into the punch bowl, the utensils jumped off of the chandelier, the napkins spun around the punch bowl dancing, the carts rolled around the table, and everyone was getting up and doing some sort of dance to add to the music. On the final note, the wine bottles pushed their caps off and the drinks splashed around the table and Jason was doing the can-can right along with all the feather dusters. And just when he was about to finish and pull out his final ending pose, Zeke slid in and ended up pushing Jason out of the picture so Zeke was in the center on one knee with his arms wide opened.

_"Be our guest_

_Be our guest_

_Please, be our guest!"_

The lights returned to normal and dinner was done. The napkins, utensils, and everyone in between was already leaving the table and heading back to their respective locations. Taylor rose from her seat and applauded.

"bravo. That was very entertaining."

"Thank you, thank you." Jason said as he bowed. "Thank you very much." He chuckled, having thrown his own impression of Elvis Presley into that. "It was a good show if I do say so myself." He congratulated anyone else that walked by and then yawned. Looking at the time he had on his face, as that was where the actual clock was, Jason figured that everything was all settled for the night. "Well would you look at the time? You'd better head off to bed and get some sleep now."

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't possibly go to bed now." Taylor shook her head. "It's my first time in an enchanted castle. There's so much to explore."

"Enchanted..." Jason chuckled as Zeke appeared by his side. "Yes, yes...that's exactly what this is. we're all enchanted." He nudged Zeke and muttered to him as quietly as he could, "Cursed is more like it. Did you blab to her?"

"Actually I figured it out on my own. It wasn't too hard." Taylor stated as she watched Jason tug on Zeke's nose, which then cause the clock to let go and fall backwards.

"Why...yes of course." Jason said quickly. "That makes perfect sense."

"I think I'm going to look around the castle. If that's alright." Taylor added. After all if she was going to be spending the rest of her life there, she would have to get familiarized with her new surroundings. She's have to know which rooms were whose, what rooms were for what, and so on. Zeke's face just lightened up at the idea.

"Oooh, would you like a tour?"

Jason blinked rapidly and nudged Zeke harder that time. "Wait what do you think you're doing? You're not really gonna show her around are you?"

"Of course. It is the polite thing to do. What kind of hosts would we be if we didn't show her around her new home?" Zeke whispered back.

"But what about the master? If he catches her out of her room and after being fed, he's going to be very angry..." Jason replied.

Now certainly the last thing Taylor was, was stupid. But that didn't mean she knew everything either. Zeke and Jason were speaking so quietly she could barely make out half of what they were talking about. All she was able to gather from the two of them was that Jason was against showing her around and insistent that she go back to her room and stay there. But there was a way around that quite easily. All she'd have to do was lead him on, maybe pull a few minor flirting tricks, and she'd have him agreeing to give her a tour in no time.

"Well then perhaps you would like to show me around." Taylor told Jason ever so kindly as she leaned against the table batting her eyelashes. "I'm sure you know everything about the castle."

Jason chuckled nervously and turned red. "Well i don't like to brag but..." As he paused Zeke couldn't help but roll his eyes. The only things Jason knew about the castle were his way around it, where not to go, and how afraid he was of the room with no lighting because there was a picture of a clown in there that really freaked him out. "...I'd be honored."

---

With the dining room being on the first floor of the castle, it probably took around forty-five minutes to finish the tour of that area. Jason was now leading Taylor through the hallways of the second floor. They were currently passing through an area with many suits of armor and paintings from the Renaissance across the walls. While in retrospect they really didn't have much to do with each other, it didn't make a difference because almost no one needed to use that hallway to go anywhere anymore. They continued down the hall where more mismatched items were against the walls and hanging around, such as old useless Halloween decorations and Christmas lights, followed by sixty's colors and music with smashed guitars that looked more like they were from the eighty's, then a bunch of useless art depicting battles and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

"As you can see this hallway is mainly for the use of entertainment. We've got things from all around down here, yes we do." Jason explained despite the fact that he was completely making everything up. "And all of these are from periods like the Disco Age, World War Nine, and the Baroque Period."

Zeke shook his head as he walked beside Taylor, who was more fascinated with the historical objects like suits of armor and artwork while everything else was completely clashing and to be brutally honest, unattractive. Zeke walked ahead and the barking footstool, Boi, ran right after Zeke wagging his tail. But what none of them knew was that the heads of the suits of armor all kept looking in Taylor's direction. Some said they were haunted, others said there was a random wind that made them do that. But Jason always took it too seriously. He was now behind the three of them and looked right at the suits of armor they passed by.

"Alright you can all stop staring now! Keep your vision eye-level and get back to where you were. C'mon. About face already!"

As if on cue, that was exactly when the suits of armor turned their heads to look in their original directions.

Jason sighed heavily and rubbed his head. "Alright, we've still got a lot more ground to cover so we probably should..." he paused and looked around for Taylor, having lost sight of her. He gasped as he saw her heading for a long carpeted staircase. Zeke had seen it as well, because they both ran over at the same time and got in front of Taylor just as she touched the first step on the staircase. The two smiled goofy, almost giving it away that something was hiding up the stairs. And because Taylor was such a smart girl, it wasn't too hard to figure out.

"Is something up there?"

"Up where?" Jason asked a little too quickly.

"Up the stairs." she replied.

"What stairs?"

"The stairs you're blocking."

"We're not blocking any stairs."

"What Jason means is..." Zeke started, the hesitated only briefly to come up with a somewhat decent excuse. "...is that there is nothing up there. Just the usual garbage anyone would stuff in an attic or West Wing. Nothing out of the ordinary up there."

"So that's the West Wing." Taylor realized, looking up the stairs with her curiosity quite peaked right now.

Jason gulped and Zeke hit himself on the head, unable to believe he had opened his big mouth for once. There was only one thing to do.... Put the blame on Jason.

"Nice going, Jay."

"Me? What'd I do?" Jason asked.

Taylor took a single step forward to try and get a better look up the stairs; because from the angle she was currently at, she could only see the first flight of stairs in front of her and then diagonally from that the second flight of stairs seemed to disappear into the darkness.

"I wonder what's really up there..." she thought aloud. "He must be hiding something...."

"Hiding something?" Zeke stuttered. "Whatever gave you that idea? Our master wouldn't hide anything up there."

Taylor took a few more steps forward, continuing her way up. "Then you wouldn't mind if I looked around."

But apparently they did mind, because they rushed to get in front and stopped her once again.

"Um...maybe you'd like to see some other area of the castle. Like..." jason started. Wait a minute, what did girls like? Oh yes! "Like clothes. We have lots and lots of clothes. Make-up. Hats. Dresses. Skirts. Power suits. Boots. Heels. Scarfs."

"Maybe later." Taylor replied as she started walking again. Yes, she really was a stubborn one. Once she became interested in something it would be near impossible to change her mind.

Jason and Zeke once again scurried in front of her.

"The gardens, maybe." Zeke blurt out. "Or the library..."

"you have a library?" Taylor inquired.

"Yes! With nooks!" Zeke exclaimed.

"Lots of books!" Jason added.

"Mountains of books!"

"Thousands of books!"

"Piles of books!"

"Book loads of books!"

They went back and forth like that as the three of them returned to the foot of the steps and were starting to continue down the hall in the direction which they were originally going to walk in. Jason and Zeke linked arms as they practically danced down the hall repeating 'books' almost like they were making another song out of it. Boi caught up with them and wagged his tail, barking along with them as he followed. But it was just those three strutting down the hallway. The three guys. No girl. No human. Taylor wasn't following them. Books peaked her interest, most definitely; but when would she ever get another chance to see the infamous West Wing? But there were so many signs that were telling her not to go up there. The happy Zeke and Jason dancing towards the library thinking she was still following them and how crushed or scared they would be if she had gone to the West Wing instead. The darkness that slowly surrounded the second flight of stairs leading to the West Wing. The bright light that was surely coming from the direction in which the library was. The eerie music that started to play when someone even mentioned the West Wing. And most importantly, the audience that must be watching knowing what would happen if she went up there and constantly repeating 'don't go up there' and numerous other sentences to that extent. But none of those things mattered. Taylor wouldn't be listening. Taylor wouldn't pay attention to any of the signs telling her to turn around and go somewhere safer. And for all she knew, this could be her one chance to learn why the Beast was such a grouchy fellow to begin with. But whatever the reason was, whatever voice inside her head urged her to not go to the library, her mind was made up. She was already walking up the stairs and disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

Wow there is so much I wanna say after finishing this chapter. first I guess I'll start by saying that my neck is really hurting from all this...or maybe it's my shoulder. Somewhere between those two areas. Second of all, I really enjoyed the song "Be Our Guest" as it is also one of my favorite classic Disney songs. But I must say, I'm slightly disappointed. My reason? Simple - the original version and most likely even the Boradway version of it (have never seen the musical over here) is so much to live up to. In the movie, the song has so much energy and so much going on that re-writing it with a couple of the scenes or adding anything the HSM cast might be doing during it, it's just so hard to keep up. Let's face it, nothing can beat the original. What I'm looking for in the song up there is that it was enjoyable and hopefully entertaining. I was able to picture Jason getting into all of the goofy situations during it so easily. Even while I was in the car driving and listening to the song I thought about all of the things that could happen during the song, so the possibilities were probably close to endless. And the one word I changed in there, was from 'ten' to 'three' because in the movie I believe the curse lasted for ten years; last I checked in this story I only put three, so it made no sense to change the number now. And yes, a little shout-out for Jack Bolton in here; I kept thinking about how he had the steaks (I think it was anyway, cause I don't remember at the moment) during the second movie right before he was giving Troy the father to son talk and all. Remember that scene? And for all of you wondering about the little thing with Zeke and Tiara at the beginning I will say these two words: kissing and flirting. Cause really, in the movie where you see Lumiere and Fifi doing that does anyone really know what they're doing behind the curtains? I'm just saying, those two words I gave are my assumptions. Hey, it's kind of a kids movie remember? But feel free to interpret it how you wish, cause I can't exaclt control that. XD Ok, now once last thing before I sign off for the night here. I already know where the next chapter for this is going to start (of course) and then end. So if anyone else remembers the movie, I will say this much: prepare for some action and a lot of drama. I guess you could call it drama, anyway. So I will either get that chapter done when i'm not lazy, or if I'm smart enough, do the next chapter for another story cause I know everyone who's waiting on those will love to bite my head off over the long wait. lol Ok, I'm shutting up for real now.


	11. Chapter 10

Now I know I have kept you guys waiting a while, and I really hope the wait is worth it because every chance i got at work I wrote a part to this chapter. It was all from my memory of the movie so as I retype this from my notebook I am watching the scene yet again to see if any slightest changes need to be made. I believe I mentioned in the last chapters a/n that this would be a very action-like chapter, or something to that extent. A big chapter, at least. Yes, that is because I think it's a big scene in the movie and from what I remember it was probably the scariest scene for me when I watched the movie as a little kid. But I think no one's ever too old for Disney. A lot of my friends at school know I'm a big Disney freak. Yeah they all think I'm crazy but in the funny sense not the crazy I'm gonna kill you sense. That'd just be creepy. Ok, this is me shutting up now. Last order of business up here is to say thanks to everyone who reviewed the story so far since the Prologue. I was gonna do this more towards the middle of the story, but I decided to do it now instead. Blah blah blah, yak yak yak you guys get the point and just wanna get to reading so thank you everyone to: Corbinsbabygrl1, RockyShadow, , ChaylorxTraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen, Digigirl02, RamandusDaughter23, MermaidRam85, xXMXx, Ryle, HSM, Coornique Chaylor Girl, ActingPrincess, and Mzwendy85.  
Disclaimer: Wouldn't we all love to own an official something Disney related.

* * *

The hallway remained dark and gloomy even as Taylor passed through. At first, those were just mere words to describe how the corridor looked on a side note. But the deeper into its midst that Taylor got the worse into it she could , it wasn't just a dark gloomy corridor anymore; it was almost like something out of a horror flick. Portions of the wallpaper were torn down or ripped off completely, revealing the bare naked walls underneath them that looked just as icy as the hallway. Any and all mirrors that hung on the wall were shattered, the glass from the objects clearly laying on the floor or else hanging from their loose frames by a thread somehow. Pictures were slashed with the marking of savage claws. The little bit of furniture that rested there was all wooden, completely destroyed right through the middle. Seeing all this in the dimness of the hallway, theoretically, would make almost anyone run in the other direction and realize that continuing on was a horrible idea.

But Taylor was different. There mere sight of the decked out haunted house-esque area only made her eager to continue. Yes, she was finding herself slightly afraid of what lay ahead but it wasn't about to convince her to turn in the other direction. If anything it only made her more curious. A minor curse so much reading has placed upon her, really. After all, she had not once read about someone who turned and ran at this sight; it heightened the drama and suspense to carry on. Not even the creepiest of eerie music could make her turn and flee with her tail between her legs - figuratively speaking, of course.

The corridor didn't carry on for too long, but it did end at a pair of two large wooden doors. The handles weren't the simple round or silver ones but rather in the shape of a ferocious creature. Taylor was able to determine it to be a wildcat. It was a quite fierce looking creature, really. Sharp fangs were sticking out of its mouth, the solid iron fur almost looked real with the way it was sticking up, and the simple look from it practically screamed, 'get out now!'. Taylor reached out for the cat-like shaped doorknob, then looked behind her. No one was following; she was alone. Good, that means she lost Zeke and Jason. Never hurt to make sure. At least they wouldn't have to come up with lame excuses to keep her away from this place anymore. No way was she leaving now anyway.

Turning back to the door, she grabbed hold of the knob and pulled the door open. Taylor poked her head inside first, to make sure the coast was clear on the other end. Though she could only see a small corner of the room Taylor know it looked just as bad as, or perhaps worse than, the hallway. The first thing she saw was the shredded carpet on the floor and some drapery torn into smithereens. She stepped in cautiously, as if the second she was thrown off guard something would attack her. The way the room was so destroyed and in such bad condition it could have been an extension of the hallway. Surely it had to be home to some kind of monster. Taylor walked in quietly and closed the door behind her. Upon a closer inspection of the room, Taylor saw that the room was most definitely not better than the hallway or the corner. It was the big picture she was looking at now. She continued making her way through the dark abyss. More drapery was ripped to pieces. The wooden dresser adjacent to the door was smashed in two. Priceless paintings could now not be sold for even a penny, as they were just as destroyed. Hardly any light was even able to enter the room.

And yet, even as she approached what almost looked like the near end of the room, something caught her eye. It was another painting, truly a masterpiece. It wasn't as abstract as the others had become with all of their tears; the painting remained strong and still but the middle looked like there were at least three sharp claw marks through it, causing the remains to dangle helplessly from the artwork. No, it wasn't like the others at all. Taylor imagined that whoever lived in the room was very cultural and classy - her kind of guy she might add, or what she usually thought he'd be like. But this work of staggering genius wasn't abstract; it didn't have a secret meaning behind it nor was it colorful or even just a beautiful piece of imagery. It was a self portrait. From where Taylor could make of it, it was a man. His skin was quite similar to hers, being of a caramel colored variety. Pieces of hair that weren't torn away by the permanent markings on the thin canvas were a much darker brown and seemingly curly. It almost seemed nostalgic somehow, like she'd seen that hair before. He just seemed so dignified, so strong in stance.... But there was something even more that caught her attention. Normally the hair, especially if it were that unique, would be a dead giveaway of being something familiar. But that wasn't it which made Taylor so curious, feeling as though she wanted so much more insight. It was his eyes. They were just this incredibly dashing brown. A very deep, almost chocolate shade. They were so focused. So dignified. So gentle. And yet it almost looked like they were lacking in something. Not pride. Not confidence. An incredibly vague kindness...what could it possibly be missing? Love?

Taylor never once removed her eyes from the non-returning gaze of the portrait's. Slowly she lifted her hand and gripped one of the edges of the torn material. Definitely some kind of canvas it was. she squinted as the end of the ripped picture got closer to filling in the puzzle that was the painting. But mere seconds before the last piece could be put in and the figure's identity would be revealed something else attracted Taylor's attention. From the corner of her eye was a mysterious pink glow. Turning her body she could see the light emerging from a table not too far from what looked like the balcony. The painting was wiped away from her mind completely as she made her way over to the bright light.

The closer she got to it, the more of it she was able to decipher. With a light that strong there was no way she'd be able to tell what it was being almost on the other side of the room as it. But there it was, and Taylor couldn't believe it. Sitting on a small round table was what looked like a glass container or perhaps and upside-down vase, which held underneath it a beautiful bright rose. It was the same rose we had experienced earlier, but as this was Taylor's first time seeing it, truly it was a sight to behold. Yet it didn't look vibrant or in full bloom. No, the rose was past that now. Numerous petals have already fallen from the flower and rested on the tabletop; the rose itself almost looked like it was on the verge of tilting if not on a slight tilt already. What intrigued Taylor was not only how much light was able to escape such a delicate creature but also the wonder of it. There it was, perfectly centered under its glass confinement almost appearing as though it were floating. Moving strands of hair out of her face, Taylor carefully removed the vase...glass...whatever was keeping the rose trapped. But even more incredible, the flower didn't budge an inch. It remained in its exact same position. Surely this had to be remarkable. Taylor held out her hand to reach for the rose. Think about what it must feel like to hold it, and what it must have had to offer. Holding such an incredible work of nature had to evoke some kind of powerful emotions in a person or something. Imagine the feel of it on one's fingers and in an instant one could feel so much better than before. And the stem looked so think there didn't even appear to be a single thorn on it. The possibilities were endless! But sadly, Taylor would be unable to experience any of that for herself, to see if any of it at all was true. Just seconds before her fingertips, no, even her nails, could brush off against the flower, a shadow slowly came over her and suddenly the room felt chillier. But it wasn't because there was a window opened. Taylor didn't even take notice until a mighty roar snapped her back into reality.

With a portion of her facing the balcony, Taylor turned the rest of her body in the direction; and she saw that she was staring nearly face to face with the Beast. He grunted and if there wasn't anything colder than his breath it was the look he was giving her. A deep, icy glare and an even angrier frown than she had witnessed him wear before. Another deep, furious grunt escaped the Beast before he charged forward. Taylor jumped back a step as the Beast appeared right in front of her. But no, it wasn't Taylor that he was after. His back was actually facing her; he grabbed the glass that was the rose's protector and immediately covered it back up. He gripped the vase tightly, almost as if the rose underneath it meant everything to him. Numerous deep breaths escaped him upon doing so. The rose was safe now, so why act so concerned? What possible reason could there be for a rose to be the top priority and require the utmost protection? No one could know for sure at this point. The deep breaths coming to a halt, he slowly turned his furry head towards Taylor. It was in such a slow motion, like there was something to expect after this. And surely enough, there was. now Taylor could see why the West Wing was forbidden.

"What are you doing in here?" he demanded, angrier than ever. His voice was low and cold in level and even though it was almost spoken quietly there was bound to be a high increase in not only his voice tone but also his rage.

While Taylor's stay at the castle was brief she knew one thing: she had never seen or heard the Beast so furious. Normally she'd wonder how his servants could even put up with could have recalled all of the things they said about him, or the amount of times they referred to him as 'master'. However for once in her life Taylor found herself too scared to even think.

"I'm sorry." was all she could say.

"I warned you never to come in here!" he bellowed. Yup, there was the voice increase.

The only thing Taylor feared for was her life. Not her freedom. Not her brother. But her life.

"Please, if you'll just let me explain..."

"Do you realize what you could have done?" he shouted. If that wasn't proof enough that the Beast was angrier now than he was five seconds ago, then his next reaction would be. "Get out!" Raising his mighty fist, the Beast knocked down a nearby chair and smashed it into pieces. Taylor had backed away some more before finally doing what any coward would do: run for her life. "GET OUT!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as Taylor pushed open the doors and ran as fast as she could out of the West Wing. And when the Beast screamed like that his voice was at its deepest and his fury was unfathomable. Yet somehow his anger and hatred disintegrated as Taylor disappeared from his sight. His shoulders slumped and his frown of such distaste became one of regret. Heaven only knew what must have been going on in his mind right now. But if any other witness were seeing it for themselves their first guess would have been that he was sorry for raising his voice and scaring her off, to put it in simplest terms. And now it really was hopeless.

---

Step afterstep Taylor rushed down the stairs. As soon as she reached the coat rack, she grabbed her jacket and threw it over her. Yes, she was that frightened. It felt like she had never even experienced fright, especially to this degree, until today. It had been one thing when she was afraid of a scene in a book, or even when her brother was taken back to the village to never see her again. This took scared to a sholw new level. She hadn't even experienced fear enough to know the true extent of its abilities. And right now it was something that had taken complete control over her.

"Wait...where are you going?" Zeke gasped. He was at the foot of the steps now with Jason, most likely arriving there after realizing Taylor wasn't with them in the library. The two of them never looked more concerned. They could tell just from the look in her eyes that she was horrified. And what could they do about it? Nothing. Worried and anxious, the pair waited for an answer as Taylor stopped at the front doors.

"Deal or no deal I can't stay here any longer. I'm leaving." she told them.

"But you can't...don't...." Zeke stammered as Jason's jaw dropped.

But it was too late. A powerful gust of snowy wind entered the castle through the door and died down as soon as Taylor exited and closed the door behind her. Zeke's candle lights disintegrated from the cold wind and he and Jason felt as down as the weather. Nothing good could come out of this now.

Hooves stomping through the snow, Jimmie rushed through the cold with Talyor guiding him by the reigns. The blizzard was strong, but hers and Jimmie's wills were only thing they could really even do was run. It didn't matter in what direction they were going in, they just had to escape. Fear was their guidance through the storm as they fought through the snow's war. The sky was dark, in complete contrast of how white and clean the snow was. The trees were pure illustrations of what a haunted forest should look like. The branches were naked of all leaves and the way in which they stuck out over the path could make them think it was a hand reaching out to grab them. Twists and turns were evident throughout the place and Taylor and Jimmie were taking nearly every one of them. Even if for some reason they would want to return to the castle it would be near impossible to do it on their own. It wouldn't even make a difference if they had someone to help. That was the result of the maze they were now trapped in.

Howls began to echo through the forest and it certainly wasn't hard to tell where they were coming from. Moments later a pack of vicious wolves appeared from behind trees or under snow. No doubt they were the exact same one who had attacked Troy on his first journey to the castle. Whether it was the same amount, less, or more it was too hard to tell. The rush of the chase coursed through Jimmie as he tried his hardest to outrun them. And while the wolves took Taylor off guard, even she shouldn't have been shocked by their appearance. This was their territory after all, not to mention the perfect environment for them to thrive in. There had to be at least ten wolves on their trail now and quickly catching up. They growled and snarled, prepared to pounce at any unannounced moment. Everywhere they turned the wolves found the simplest of ways to catch up. One of them was even neck and neck with Taylor and Jimmie, its paws patting the soft snow in comparison to Jimmie's stomping hooves. It even went so far as to jump up with its teeth clenched, trying with all its might to bite the horse's neck. Jimmie yelped and shifted towards the opposite side, his hooves nearly hitting one another and surely enough he would have fallen on his side and been a goner. But with Taylor on the reigns that wouldn't be possible. Tightening her grip, she led Jimmie to skid towards the wolf and the creature never saw it coming. It was slammed right into a tree and knocked out col.d One down, hopefully nine or less to go.

It was easier said than done. Moments later, one wrong move and the snow around them cracked completely. Taylor gasped when she saw that they were struggling to keep afloat in the freezing 's what had happened; they smashed a piece of ice disguised as snow and it revealed the cold water underneath its was doing his best, lifting his heavy pony legs to keep him and Taylor above the water level. The wolves were doing much better, as it was their terf. Most of them paddled across the water. Some even tried to nip at Jimmie and Taylor as they floated on by. The few remaining ones, most likely three wolves tops, were drowning or on the verge of doing so.

Emerging out of the water, Jimmie pushed himself and Taylor onto the strong snowy surface and his hooves pounded against the snow, leaving minor wet footprints. However, whether a trail was left or not made no difference; the wolves followed them by sight and scent. One wolf, most likely the leader of the pack, made the first real attempt at Jimmie and Taylor. It jumped and tried to slash at Jimmie's neck. Jimmie yelped and skidded to the opposite side, causing him to nearly lose his balance again. as that happened, Taylor lost her place on the saddle as well as her grip on the reigns and collapsed into the soft frozen water. The reigns flipped over and became entangled with a nearby tree branch. Thanks to that Jimmie was now a sitting duck and who the wolves were after. Taylor may have been less than a few feet away but she could escape if she so desired. Jimmie no longer had that wolves surrounded him from every given angle and the poor thing was so scared and confused.

When one wolf lunged at him from behind, instincts took over and the Shetland struck the wolf hard with his hind legs. His front hooves stomped on the ground as he tried to scare them it wasn't enough. Jimmie may have been temporarily off the hook but that all seemed to end. As another wolf prepared to attack him, Taylor knocked it out of the way with a large stick, most likely a fallen thick tree branch to be precise. But how she made it through the furry mob to a trusted companion? Most likely through a hole in the crowd that none of the wolves blocked, as they were still trying to get their paws and teeth on Jimmie. Jimmie did no longer have to fight as hard to keep them at bay, thanks to Taylor stepping in, but not even she was enough to block them off completely. The branch was a good shield for defence for a short amount of time; it just couldn't last too long. One wolf caught Taylor off guard. It jumped up, frightening Taylor and as a result dropped the branch and backed away into Jimmie. She watched as the wolf grabbed the stick in between its jaws and snapped it in two with its sharp to pounce on Taylor, it made the first jump and nearly reached her. As a reaction she let herself down into the snow, holding her arm in front of her as a shield.

And just when the carnivore was about to attack again something happened. A huge hairy arm got in its way. A loiud, powerful roar echoed and no response came from the wolf. Taylor's eyes went from snapped shut to wide open when she heard the roar. She didn't believe what she was seeing. The wolf wasn't on her nor were any of its pack ready to attack again. Standing right in front of her, actually defending her and Jimmie, was the Beast. Taylor was full of did he find them? Scratch that, what was he even doing out here? And protecting her and Jimmie? This had to be a dream; no way it was real.

But as hard as it was to believe, it was real. The Beast swung his arm once more and the wolf flew across the area, its body falling hard against even the soft ground. The pack saw this and was going to put a stop to it. No one disrespected their leader that way. Growling and clenching their teeth, one by one they began attacking the Beast head on. Now on all fours, the Beast fought off each one of them with his bare hands - paws, rather. He even went so far as to step forward so all they could see was him, and he would serve as a distraction from Taylor and her horse. So far it was working. The Beast was holding his own so well in the furry fight and didn't once hesitate in what he was doing. it even looked like the battle was in his favor. The Beast didn't let a single wolf get by him. He used his tail as a defense mechanism, swinging it to smack a wolf as it tried to run around him. He rammed a couple of them with his horns and swing after swing his paw nearly pushed every one aside. one smack was powerful enough to throw a wolf into one of the trees, leading to the snow falling from the bare branches and covering the creature.

The sad thing was, like everything else seemed to be lately, that all good things had to come to an end. One wolf managed to outsmart the Beast. It leaped and attacked him from behind, ripping at the fur on his back. The Beast roared and leaned back on his hind legs before going back on all fours and trying with all his might to get the wolf off of him. The grip that the wolf's teeth had on the Beast remained stronger. Barely. With just enough strength against it, the Beast took a risk; he slammed himself into a tree, back first, and smashed the wolf against it with great force. That could have either worked for him or against him. The wolf could have let its grip go and slip down, resulting in the Beast injuring himself and leaving the wolves with the perfect opportunity for their final attack. But the luck of the draw was on the Beast's side; the wolf didn't know what was coming and it lost consciousness from the back blow of the tree; it slid down into the snow. The Beast returned on all fours, wincing only slightly from the pain he felt. After all, the attacker had left a minor mark on his back, and additionally he felt the back blow from the tree as well.

And it didn't even stop there. Another wolf lunged forward seconds later and clawed at the Beast's arm. He roared in agony, as it was his good arm, his dominant one, the one with probably more muscles in it. He could see the slash marks on his arm and the red liquid slowly seeping to the hairy surface. But was the Beast going to let that stop him? Nope. It could have been obvious what kept him going, but to just those watching it was all a mystery. For all they knew he was just trying to prove himself tougher than some pack of wolves. Or maybe he was trying to keep them away from his castle. Perhaps it was even a life-long rivalry with them. Whatever the reason, it was sure keeping the Beast going.

Trying his hardest to use his other arm, the Beast continued to fight back. He tried clawing and hitting them, but because his arm was much slower the wolves found it easier to predict his every move. The alpha wolf stepped forward again and it howled, most likely leading the pack into one last all-out war. Poor Beast didn't even know what hit him next. Wolf after wolf, all of them jumped on him and scratched or bit. The next thing the Beast knew, his brown fur was completely covered in their grey and white fut. He fell to the ground as they all pounced on him, just one giant ball of fur on the snow. All else was completely motionless. Was the Beast still alive? Did he make it? Was it over? It was silent. The only things that moved in the ball of white and grey were the furry tails. Very few sounds were heard; maybe a few faint snarls, but aside from that nothing else.

Then, something unexpected happened. The snarls ceased to be. The wolves were now completely motionless. Somehow, some way, the Beast emerged from their bodies and the wolves tumbled off of him. A few fell motionless off of him before running. It was all or nothing now. The move that would decide it all. Some of the wolves may have run off like scardy cats but the rest remained where they were. With one final attack, they leaped toward the Beast. His arm still in pain, the Beast was going to try one last time to scare them off. Raising his scarred arm, he managed to knock away not just one wolf, but all of them at once. They were thrown right back into the snow a good few feet away. That was it; they were done. Some were limping and the rest barely had any strength, but they made a mad dash away from the Beast as fast as possible. Just to get away from the monster.

The Beast's hind legs were shaking. He was completely out of breath. All that escaped him were deep, heavy gasps before he started losing his eyesight. All was becoming dark to him as his eyelids grew heavier. The Beast turned to face Taylor, who was either shocked, more frightened than before, or a combination of the two. He could see her expression: her teeth were clenched probably biting her tongue to refrain herself from freaking out even more, her eyes were wide with what seemed like terror, and no body parts of hers moved except for her skirt, jacket, and hair which was all courtesy of the wind blowing it. And ti was that look on her face, the shocked and scared look, was the last thing the Beast saw before he collapsed to the ground and fell into unconsciousness.

Taylor managed to let a gasp escape her after watching the whole thing in silence. She couldn't even describe how the Beast looked right now. All she could do was put it in the most obvious of terms. Exhausted. Hurt. Worn out. All seen from the naked eye. The girl couldn't even bring herself to look at him now. Staying in front of Jimmie, she turned her back so it faced the Beast. Silence returned. Everything that happened was just so unbelievable. Taylor remained quiet and held the same look on her face, replaying the events in her mind. They had argued. The Beast hated her. She gave up everything to save her brother. And yet...there the Beast was, laying motionless on the ground after saving hers and Jimmie's lives. But why? She had disobeyed him. She went in his sanctuary when he specifically told her not to go there. Invaded his personal space. Possibly risked the life of a rose - something that seemed more precious to the Beast than anything else.

Yes.... Yes, it was all clear to her now. Taylor's head snapped back to look at the Beast, seeing him in the same position he had been in for a good couple of minutes. He had given her restrictions for a reason. It was his castle, after all. Monster or no monster he needed privacy just like everyone else. What business did Taylor have to go in rooms that she was not welcome in? who gave her the right to violate the rules of the castle? And despite her misbehavior, the Beast still came to her rescue. Taylor could probably pin as much blame on him as she was putting on herself right now; but honestly, she just couldn't. Not after what he did for her. She just didn't have the heart to. He had been so...so.... Brave. So protecting. So caring. For that one moment, Taylor wondered how some one like that could be turned into a hideous creature.

Taylor slowly stepped away from Jimmie and went over to the Beast cautiously. Jimmie lowered his head, watching very closely. Even if his reigns were still caught in the tree branch he wanted to spring into action at the last minute and save the day. Sadly for Jimmie, pulling a Rocketman superhero act would not be necessary. Taylor was hesitant at first, but did end up kneeling down next to the Beast. She heard a faint breath escape him which caused her to flinch. When she realized it didn't mean he was getting up, she stayed down at his level, her knees in the snow. It was no wonder his breath was so faint and tired; the fight must have taken a lot of energy out of him. Taylor sighed. There should have been something she could do. Removing her jacket, she placed it over the Beast. After unhooking Jimmies reigns from the branch, with the horse's help of course, she got the Beast onto Jimmie and they began making their way back to the castle as the blizzard finally began to die down.

---

Everyone in the castle gathered around as soon as they returned. Taylor took charge of everything they needed to do and it was all done. A fire was started in the fireplace, the Beast was brought to rest in his chair, Gabriella boiled some water, and everyone waited anxiously for their master to awaken. As the Beast lay with his damaged arm hung over the chair's arm, Taylor stuck a cloth into the hot water she poured from Gabriella into a bucket. She squeezed the excess water off the cloth, following the simple medical procedure so easily. After all, that's exactly what it was - just a typical medical protocall.

A low groan escaped the Beast and everyone's eyes fell on him. He was awake...sort of. But Taylor paid no attention. she knew what she had to do: repay the Beast for rescuing her. That's just what she was doing all this for. As stubborn as the young lady was, she knew when she was in debt to someone. But as mentioned, this was all it was. It didn't mean she actually cared for the Beast...not really, anyway. One thing she did take from the experience, fter everything said and done, was that he was no monster. In a monster's body, maybe, but the man - or whatever he was - under all that was no monster.

Not saying a word, Taylor stood up from the floor and walked over to the Beast. She placed the warm cloth on his wound. And of course, right on contact with it the Beast let out a roar of pain and annoyance, causing her servants to jump back in surprise. He turned his head right to Taylor and yelled in her face with such force that he could blow dry her hair at the highest possible setting.

"That hurt!"

"Well you should have been more careful when you fought those wolves." she retorted, straightening her posture.

Wolves? The enchanted objects exchanged glances. None of them asked any questions when Taylor returned...except for Donny and Jason of course. But hey, Jason was the silly one and Donny had his big imagination. But even then their questions went unanswered. But if it all was bad enough to involve wolves...it just couldn't be good. As a matter of fact, neither could this. Not with the two of them raising their voices at each other. Put all of it together and it was just plain surprising. But the argument that was about to arise, that by now was plain predictable.

The Beast thought for a minute to think of a good comeback. "Well you shouldn't have run away in the first place." he said with a smirk. Yeah, that would show her.

Or not. "If you hadn't fightened me then I wouldn't have run away." she argued.

"Right, you just had to be so stubborn and do things your own way." the Beast replied.

"You're the one who acts like you rule the castle." she informed him.

"I do rule the castle!" he insisted.

"Since when?" Taylor questioned.

"Since..." Oh wait, he hadn't thought of that. "Since ever!"

"Then you shouldn't be so arrogant." Taylor continued.

Ok they were back to that again. Now how could the Beast one up her? "Well you shouldn't have been in the West Wing."Yeah, let's see her top that. The Beast had this argument in the bag now. It was almost as though he were enjoying their fighting.

And yet again Taylor had the perfect counter. "Well you should learn to control your temper."

D'oh! She got him again. Man this girl was good! With no way to fight back, recalling how many times he was told that (especially by Gabriella and Zeke), the Beast rested his chin on his paw half pouting. Yeah, like he was really going to give her his full out puppy dog face. Not only would that get him nowhere with Taylor but it would also make him seem like he was the unmanliest...person-ish guy ever.

Taylor's look softened as she watched the Beast. For once she wasn't going to try fighting with him. After what he just did for her, she felt like he didn't deserve it. No one deserved to be yelled at after risking their life for someone. And although Taylor would never admit to it out loud, or probably at all, it was probably the sweetest thing she ever saw.

Removing her gaze from him, Taylor gently placed the cloth on his injury again. "hold still. It may hurt a little."

The Beast jerked back slightly, biting his tongue to hold in a growl. _May_sting a little? No, it did sting a lot. But he was sort of controlling his temper. It was progress. And he didn't even open his mouth to say anything. And dispite how cold Taylor's voice had proved to be, her touch was one of the gentlest he'd ever felt. Was it supposed to make him act worse - or in this case, better - than he usually was?

"By the way..." Taylor added softly, her focus still on healing his arm. Like she said, she knew when she owed someone. The Beast most definitely deserved it. She bit her tongue at first, however, imagining that she would never have to say anything like it to him. But she was going to because she was trying to be the bigger man...bigger woman, rather. not the childish puppy dog-faced person like he was being. "...thank you. for saving my life."

For a second the Beast was stunned. did she really just say that? It was completely unexpected and yet he shouldn't be surprised. Taylor was...kind of an honorable person. It was easy to see how someone could hate her and respect her at the same time. The Beast gave her credit. She had brains and beauty. He was the first to admit the latter. The brains...to him they were a newly found quality of hers. Her surely wasn't going to hold that against her. It was only more of a reason this had to work. But if she ever knew he just needed her to help him become human again.... It didn't even matter. Something like love couldn't fade away so easily. The Beast accept that, if anything else. He just wanted it to work at first, just force himself to love her because that may be his only shot.

Yet there was no way it could be turned around. With the qualities Taylor was showing what reason was there not to love her? Plenty of reasons to...lave her. Ok, he made that word up to combine the words love and hate. There were plenty of reasons to have those mixed feelings and he could see them easily. But if he could now see her gentler side and look past everything he hated about her then maybe, just maybe, he could help her look past his flaws, too. Looks may have been all that mattered to him at first, but now it was easier to look at more than those. Hopefully Taylor would prove to see through all his fur and find a good person behind it all. And that was a lot of fur. But he was willing to try. He had just fled the castle to go after Taylor and...ok he didn't know what at first, but he had ended up saving her instead. He really was more than a beast.

And although the rose had already begun to wilt and there was a matter of time before the last petal would fall, the rose that was the heart inside the Beast was only beginning to blossom.

Slowly turning his head to face Taylor again, the Beast's normal angry, ferocious...and a bunch of other adjectives similar to those...look became kinder. Calmer. Thankful. She wasn't leaving him to try and heal himself, but trying to help him. He would definitely have to keep an eye on her enchanted objects continued to watch, some moving closer knowing that the Beast wouldn't snap again. At least not today. Hey, it was good enough for them. They watched as the Beast just looked at Taylor and all she was looking at was his arm. The silence was awkward at first, but then finally the Beast let words just as soft as Taylor's escape his mouth.

"You're welcome."

And when Taylor lifted his head to look at the Beast once more, their eyes locked.

* * *

And there we go! The chapter is done. As far as the wolf scene goes I adapted it into a way that Chad...I mean, this Beast...would act in the situation, though for any of you who have seen the movie hopefully there is an overall same idea of the original wolf scene incorporated. And for their last argument, no way it was all going to be fighting. There had to be a couple of extra lines where we could see things that they would definitely make their usual fights about without the yelling. Now I have a little bonus for you all, so hopefully you'll read this and see it. I drew a picture of what Zeke might look like as an enchanted object. I drew a picture of the original Lumiere (to the best of my abilities) and changed a few things that could remind you of Zeke. Hopefully you can all see the resemblance. If you guys like the idea I will add a picture with every chapter, starting with the enchanted objects (and Jimmie) first. Feel free to give opinions; here is Zeke: **http :// img 195. image shack .us /img 195 /7061/ character1 .jpg **(NO SPACES in the web address but you guys already had that feeling right?). So I will try and get up the next chapter as soon as I can, and it will involve Sharpay, Ryan and one of the other HSM characters. 0=) Right now I'm debating if it should all be in one chapter or split into two. Like I said, I do want to add more to a few of the characters than are in the original movie and of course, with the twists I've added in here. Can't wait to here what you guys have to say about this, and hope you're anxious for the next chapter. C=


	12. Chapter 11

I will keep this a/n short today, as I also plan to focus on making the bottom a/n longer so you guys can read updates on other stories at the end and this way, get to start reading each chapter quicker. And up here I will have thank you's for reviews and anything you might need to know about the chapter you are about to read. Like how this one will be an introduction to the scene in which you would see Sharpay conversing with who would be Monsieur D'Arque. I spelled that name right, right? XD Now as far that character, let's say he'll be a tad different in my story and you won't believe who he is portrayed as. So yes, this chapter is not in the movie but it is my attempt to HSM-ify it a bit more, as a certain friend put it. lol Don't worry, you'll learn some more in here too. 0=) Ok, moving on so you guys can get reading. Thank you's - I think the last chapter had some of the most reviewers yet. I'd be exact but I'm too lazy to count and I don't think you guys see it as a huge deal. So for chapter eleven, thank you to: Fcknamazing, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Rockyshadow, Digigirl02, Anothersmallperson, Mzwendy85, Hsm3, and Actingprincess.  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Back in the village, Sharpay looked up through her hooded jacket and past the light snow towards a large tower. Now there was some fairly large buildings in the town. Most places were small like the houses or the simple places like the bakery or the bookstore. But this place was very much so different. Every other place in town had somewhat of a welcoming aura. Even the home in which Sharpay and Ryan lived seemed so calm and inviting. But this place always seemed to have a dark cloud hovering over it. That's just what the place was like. Even the gate in front of it looked creepy, to say the least. The building was covered in black and the only light surrounding it was the light from the white flakes on the ground. The gates were tall and creaked, very much bent and rusted. Now Sharpay had never been to a place like this. As a matter of fact, she never even had a reason to.

But she did now. This was something she needed to do. There was one person that could help her with her plan. It was absolutely brilliant; even Ryan agreed that it was. then again he was her brother so he had to agree with her. But Sharpay was sure that this was full proof. For there was no way the person she was waiting to see inside could turn her offer down. It was so ironic, really. People would think that Sharpay was the worst person in town. But the person whom was waiting behind these gates, at times, could not only be worse than Sharpay but more powerful.

Sharpay opened the gates and stepped into the yard. Passing through a few statues in front she made her way to the door and walked inside. She didn't even bother to stop at the large desk in the middle of the big room. She had other plans. She didn't care who was stopping her, some secretary or whoever. This was completely different. So what if Sharpay didn't have an appointment or wasn't welcome there? Not like it was going to stop her. Sharpay may be a lot of things, but a coward was never any of them. And perhaps her best quality was her confidence. She was strong and when she knew what she wanted, she went right for it. But it could also be her greatest downfall as well. We will soon have to find that out.

Stepping on some old rusty stairs, the blond babe didn't even take time to notice all the horrid faces looking at her, how old and decrepit a lot of them looked. She had much more important things on her mind. She was going all-out tonight. Maybe she wouldn't be here for long, but the main reason for her visit was to get her point across. If she could do that much and leave said person thinking then her mission could be considered accomplished. But why Ryan wasn't accompanying her, well let's just say it was a small portion of Sharpay's scheme. While the woman was smart she didn't always tend to use it in the most positive manners. Some would call it street smart. But one would have to give Sharpay credit for one thing - she was most certainly no idiot.

Her heels clicked and snapped against the wooden floor and while she couldn't see much in the dimly lit hallways, she had her eye on the prize. No, this wasn't the big prize she had her eyes on. It was a mere prize on the road to the top prize. It was kind of like a game show. Where she was going to try and win one of the more minor prizes before deciding on later if she would trade it in for a better one or not. And this would definitely be something that she would trade in. Upon reaching her destination, Sharpay knocked delicately on the door. Another part of her master plan: put on the sweet act, don't barge in. Her chances were not going to be wrecked now.

From behind the door a quiet female's voice came in. "Who is it?"

"Call me Sharpay." she replied as though no one knew who she was. Yeah, right. There wasn't a soul in town who didn't know Sharpay. Eh, maybe some who didn't know Ryan. But never anyone who didn't know Sharpay. She was just more 'popular' that way, so to speak.

"What do you want? I'm kind of busy..." the voice said, seeming to fade.

But Sharpay wouldn't give in. "Look I'll make this easy for you. Either let me in now or I buy the place and become your boss eventually putting you out of business and forcing you to live in the woods and feed off the bodies of decapitated wolves. Now are you going to open up or not? Yeah, she could definitely be cold when she wanted to be. But one thing Sharpay always learned was that if you don't take the first major step and put your voice out there, you'll never get what you want. It must have worked, because there was a moment of silence before the nearly silent voice was heard again.

"Enter."

Sharpay shrugged and smiled to herself. boy, she was good. Lifting down her hood she stepped into what looked like an office. Much like the rest of the building it was very dimly lit. On the opposite side of the door was a thick desk with a single lamp on it, most likely the only source of light as the curtains to the window were closed. Sharpay could see the petite lady very easily behind there. She looked so harmless with her small thin glasses and shoulder length brunette locks. Were those bits of grey she saw? Maybe it was highlights or stress or something. She wasn't here to chat, she was here to get someone on her side and execute her genius idea. The same one she had whispered to Ryan about in the midst of all their singing at their party. Sharpay stepped closer until she sat down in the wooden chair facing the desk. It was then that she got a closer look at the woman. Her skin seemed a bit on the pale side, and her arms were thin and bony. She couldn't see much to the outfit, but knowing Sharpay she was thinking about what a fashion disaster it must be.

"I'm glad you could see me, Mademoiselle." she said ever so sweetly.

"I didn't want to see you. You pretty much let yourself in." the female replied bluntly.

"Duely noted. However I don't think I gave you much of a choice." Sharpay said innocently.

The woman sighed and leaned forward so her fingers were laced and her chin rested on the back of her hands. "What do you want Sharpay?"

"Alright, I'll be honest. i didn't come here to chat and quite frankly, you're one of the last people I would ever want to chat with. But listen here right now, Mademoiselle Kelsi. I need some help from you and you're going to give it to me." Sharpay answered, not once hesitating to take charge.

Kelsi raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me to become a benefactor of yours and yet I don't see much praise in your offer. Why should I except?"

Sharpay was growing impatient. She stood up and slammed her hands onto the desk. "Listen here you little squirt. I don't care if you run this asylum or if you were the mayor of Cuckoo Town. But when I tell someone to lend me a hand and there's something in it for them, they are smart to accept my offer."

This almost seemed to frighten Kelsi. She slowly scooted back in her chair. "What do you want?"

Sharpay smirked. So her message was getting through to her. Kelsi may be a powerful woman but she never had what it took to stand up to someone. She was so nice that way. "Let me ask you a hypothetical question, Kelsi." she returned to her sweet voice and sat back in her chair, crossing her legs. "Why did you choose to inherit this place from your grandfather, aside from the fact that it was stated in his will that you take this place?"

The answer seemed so simple to Kelsi, as she answered it almost right away. "Well, to help the people that are in here of course. People are sent here being told that they're crazy and I want to help them regain faith in themselves."

"And how's that working out for ya?" Sharpay replied.

"Well..." Kelsi started.

"Exactly my point." Sharpay interrupted. "you don't have much money to show for it, no real accomplishments, and you're always in some dark room all by yourself. How do you wake up in the morning?""

"The same way as everyone else. I turn off my alarm clock..." Kelsi started once more.

"That was a hypothetical question." Sharpay huffed as-a-matter-of-factly.

Kelsi was silent. It didn't look like there was much talking to Sharpay. She looked down at her hands and twiddled her thumbs, deciding not to do or say anything.

Sharpay on the other hand, she took this as an advantage point. She was winning and now it was time to take the cake. "I may be stating the obvious here but you're not the fairy godmother helping fairy everyone thinks you are."

"you said fairy twice." Kelsi said quietly.

"Um, did I say you can talk?" she informed her.

"Sorry, keep going." she replied quickly.

"Much better." Sharpay smiled sweetly. "My point is, you have a dark side. And if this room doesn't prove it then something else will. your love of money. And if you can help me out I can only not donate a most generous amount of money to this old asylum but I can also pay you very beautifully. And admit it, you love getting paid."

"I do love money..." Kelsi confessed.

"Love it? You have a bank vault buried somewhere on this property and probably even sleep with a sack of it under your pillow at night!" Sharpay exclaimed. "So look me in the eye and tell me you don't want some of my fortune."

Looking Sharpay in the eye would probably be scary enough. But Kelsi knew there was no way she could do that. "Alright," she sighed, "what do I have to do to get a small piece of your family fortune?"

Sharpay smirked. Things were really going her way. "Come by my house in exactly an hour and fifteen minutes." she instructed as she stood up. "And believe me, that won't be all waiting for you."

"What do you mean?" Kelsi asked.

"Let's just say there's going to be a little more that you'll want than money when you're through with me." Sharpay said with a wink. "I've got a proposal for you and I'm fairly certain you won't want to turn it down. Remember Mademoiselle Kelsi, that's exactly seventy-five minutes mountain standard time. If you really are as interested as I think you are, then don't be late."

Sharpay pulled up her hood and turned on her heel, exiting the room. She knew she had gotten Kelsi's attention. For the time being that was all she needed. Everything else would be explained. She knew that Mademoiselle Kelsi was many things. Her pure side and her dark side seemed in an equal balance. She was sweet yet greedy. She was friendly yet desired the darkness. She enjoyed helping yet remained alone. Sharpay on the other hand, she was driven completely by passion. Passion in herself. She acted on what she knew. Sharpay probably had the potential to be such a giving and loving person. Yet she chose against it. Maybe it was because she was naturally jealous. Maybe it was because Ryan was the nice twin so she had to be more devious. Maybe it was because she was just an attention hog. It could be a possibility of any one of those reasons. But let's face it, Sharpay loved the spotlight. And she knew exactly how to get it all back on her. Kelsi was the first step in making that happen.

"Looks like things are already being set in motion." Sharpay said to herself with a smile as she stepped through the snow, tugging her jacket close to her for warmth. Whatever Troy says about some beast he has to be crazy. The only beasts living anywhere around here are those infected creatures in the woods. And a lot of good they do anyone." She made her way up one of the few grassy hills in town. She folded her arms and even from the snow-covered hilltop she could see the farm clearly. She squinted and Troy's voice rang in her head. Beast, huh? Who would be crazy enough to believe that? Troy certainly seemed plenty crazy, however. For the past who knows how many days (Sharpay hasn't kept track) he's been running around town begging for help. Saying his precious little sister was trapped in a castle run by a huge, hairy beast.

"Troy's a fool. The only castle around here for miles is the prince's castle. The last time I even thought to set foot in that place he kicked me right out. Threw me to the curb. Like I wasn't good enough for him." she scowled to herself. She grabbed the branch of a nearby tree and ripped it right off, being in such a nasty mood just thinking about it. "The prince needed a little princess to help him run the castle? Help him be in charge? In charge of what? That dirtbag turned away every woman that came his way. I just knew I had a shot. But no, he had to think differently. The little scum..." Sharpay cursed. She squinted once more, a natural anger in her eyes as she pictured that day nearly perfectly. Or at least a portion of it. The flashback appeared right before her very eyes, as though as if it were seen on a screen Sharpay's face would be faded and combined with nearly crystal clear images of what happened.

_Sharpay had entered the castle that day. It seemed to be in so much beauty, that area. Like the perfect place to rule. The white castle was a perfect image of purity, and from how tall and spacious it was Sharpay knew she was admire a place like that to live more than any other house her family must have owned. Ryan had entered right behind her, appearing exhausted. Perhaps he was carrying a lot of bags or something. Sharpay didn't recall. But what she could recall, first and foremost, was hers and her brother's conversation._

_"this place looks pretty slick Shar." he said._

_"Of course it does Ryan," she rolled her eyes. "It's the prince's castle. It has to be fancy."_

_"Fancier than any other place dad has, that's for sure." Ryan stated. "Why did we come here anyway?"_

_"Ryan you're so simple minded. Maybe if you were in line for royalty you'd understand." Sharpay said as she stepped inside, admiring the tiled and carpeted floors along with the priceless works of art and whatnot._

_Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"_

_Sharpay sighed and turned to him. "I have a chance at something here. By this time tomorrow I could be a well known princess. The prince is practically being given away at marriage."_

_"What, like arranged?" he asked._

_"More like a blind marriage. Supposedly he has to like the girl he's marrying." Sharpay rolled her eyes once more._

_"I heard he's a real picky guy. kinda spoiled, too." Ryan said._

_"Please, when he sees me he'll know he has no other choice in suitable women." Sharpay told him like it was obvious._

_Ryan shook his head, still seeming confused. "Don't you think you're being a little cocky?"_

_"Not at all." she shook her head._

_"Out, out, OUT!"_

_Sharpay's and Ryan's head had shifted to see a young woman rushing as fast as she could out of the castle. The voice that was shooing her out was so masculine yet so cold. So angry. Urg...so hideous. Sharpay hoped that didn't mean the prince was ugly. And especially judging from the way that girl had been running, it had to be something wrong with him. Heck as if Sharpay knew there was anything wrong with her. There was no way he could turn her down. But that...that rifraf that ran out, she couldn't blame him for turning her down. I mean, has anyone seen her rags? So eighteen hundreds. Or whatever century the previous one had been._

_Ryan raised an eyebrow again and slowly turned to his sister. "You sure you want to go through with this?"_

_"Don't you have any faith in me, Ryan?" she question._

_"Of course I do." he said right away, ever the loyal brother. "But is this really in your best interest?"_

_"Of course it is. Don't be silly." Sharpay replied. "Now I'd keep quiet if I were you. I have a prince to please."_

_"Or a prince that dad can win over for you?" Ryan wondered._

_Sharpay had grown tired of his antics. "Ryan who of us is in charge?"_

_"Well, you of course." he replied._

_"And who of us has all the more style?" she continued._

_"Well considering everyone pays more attention to what a girl wears than a guy, I'm gonna have to say you." he shrugged._

_"And who has every guy in town fawning over her beauty?" she finished._

_"You." he answered right away._

_"There we go. Now stop being so doubtful." Sharpay shushed him. "Now go. go do something and just wait for me. You know what actually, I feel so last year in these outfits. Find me the best room to change into and pull out my best pink clothes to win over this prince. And a tiara that should match his exactly. I'm thinking silver."_

_"But what if his crown is gold?" Ryan asked cautiously._

_"Ryan!" she snapped._

_"Got it, got it. I'm going." Ryan replied quickly before grabbing what must have been one of Sharpay's many attire cases and running off._

Well needless to say it didn't exactly go over the best. But that was merely the beginning. And Sharpay knew for one reason or another that when she had to think about the rest of the story, she would. Maybe it had to deal with all of Troy's yakking or something. She didn't know. But there was no way in heck that she would ever speak of this to anyone. Ryan maybe, but only because he was there and he was her brother. Besides if he ever told a soul about that day he knew Sharpay would be coming after him.

speaking of Ryan...that reminded her of one very important detail. Sharpay smirked and pulled down her hood, letting the chilly breeze carry her hair and the rough flakes fall into her blond locks. She dropped the tree branch and placed a hand on her hip, as though anything she had just been thinking about meant nothing.

"I'd better go spruce my brother up. After all, we have company coming very soon."

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**http :// img 268. image shack. us / img 268 /4971 /character2 k. jpg (AGAIN, NO SPACES) **This right here is what Jason looks like as Cogsworth. Only got one comment...or one and a half i guess lol about Zeke as Lumiere. But for anyone who's interested, there's Jason. The pictures is smaller because I knew if it was uploaded taller than it just wouldn't look right, too tall in my opinion or something like that. But you should be able to tell from that, that Jason is a bit on the stumpy side which I think highlights his humorous clumsiness during "Be Our Guest". And the little scribble you might see next to him, my signature. A very not neat one at that. xD Now as for this chapter I know it's not very long but I didn't want to give too much away either. I have decided to make this kind of a two-parter Sharpay chapter because the next one will be the scene from the movie. I just hope that this will be enough for you guys until I do get the next chapter up. I wanted this to be kind of a Sharpay filler chapter. In retrospect every villain has to have some good qualities to them, like strengths. So I wanted to highlight Sharpay's ni here so she doesn't seem like a total bad guy. And you now have a minor idea of how she came in contact with the prince but like I said, I don't want to give too much away. But I did drop some hints so you guys should have an idea of how all that turned out. And as for Kelsi, ironically I chose probably the sweetest and gentlest of all the Wildcats to play the cold-hearted and greedy Monsiuer D'Arque, the guy who throws, in the actual movie, Maruice (in this story, Troy) into his asylum. I wanted to be true to both characters, which was a bit of a challenge because we have a naturally good person and what seems to be a real evil person. Kelsi seemed like the perfect person to run an asylum, a she always had peoples' best interests and wanted to do the right thing. And obviously the fact that she can't completely stand up to Sharpay has to be true to her character in some manner as well. But to be true to the greedy Monsiuer D'Arque Kelsi had to seem a bit more...not so goody two-shoes, I suppose. I gave her his greed and hopefully what you all could see as physical characteristics that would remind you of the character she portrays. I will prepare myself to hear criticisms on that part, but while pretty much all of the other characters are who you'd expect them to be in the movie I thought it'd be a nice twist to do someone you guys wouldn't expect. But I will let you know now, she will not turn out to be like D'Arque in the movie. If she did, and especially remained having some kind of evil flaw to her, then that would not be true to Kelsi. So moving on to the part where I shut up and stop possibly boring you guys (lol) I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. So with all that stuff said I now say.... Bye-bye.


	13. Chapter 12

Ok so there were a few mixed reviews on the last chapter. About half the reviews were just happy that Kelsi made her entrence and the other half was shocked. I should have been expecting that. Unless I was and just can't remember that I was. Anyway, this is the next chapter which is technically the next scene in the movie. I had started it but then everything got deleted so it's pretty much back to chicken scratch. Something like that. So yeah, now I'm currently retyping it and by the time you're reading this it'll obviously be done. lol In short, in this chapter you'll find out the reason why I chose Kelsi for her role and hopefully if some of you guys are still in shock about her character...well then hopefully you'll at least see why I had this planned. XD Ok to end it up here thanks to all who reviewed last chapter: Digigirl02, Seabreezylady18, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Rockyshadow, Mzwendy85, and Actingprincess.  
Disclaimer: I owned nothing 12 chapters ago, I own nothing now.

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Sharpay tapped her fingers against the round wooden table she and Ryan were currently sitting at. It was just moments away from the time that Mademoiselle Kelsi was supposed to enter, and so Sharpay could reveal her plan and what she needed Kelsi for. She believed she made her point quite clear earlier, if she did say so herself. But when Ryan had asked where she went or what she had been doing, Sharpay merely dismissed it. All she told Ryan was to get ready and that they would be having company over very soon. And Sharpay definitely knew that their company would arrive shortly. Hey eyes were fixated on the door ans Ryan pulled up a chair to sit beside his sister with a glass of soda pop in his hands. Across from them at the table was an empty chair, which Kelsi would be sitting in for their little meeting.

It didn't take long for Kelsi to enter into the house. Her steps were cautious and her hands were in front of her, merely resting against her body like an invisible shield she hoped would protect her from Sharpay. Kelsi had arrived exactly on time as promised. And Sharpay had said there was something in it for her. Now it was Kelsi's time to find out. She slowly pulled the chair out and sat down in it. She gulped at first, trying her best not to make direct eye contact with Sharpay. However seeing Ryan there in all of his cluelessness seemed to relax her. Kelsi was sure that Sharpay had mentioned nothing of this to her brother. Quickly, she turned her head away from the man and faced Sharpay. She opened her mouth to speak; Kelsi's voice was shaky at first but after the first couple of stammers she managed to get out what she wanted to say. Too bad Sharpay had to interrupt her just as she got past the first stammer.

"I...I came..."

"Yes, I see that." Sharpay nodded. "Right on time, too. I knew you were a punctual girl, Kelsi. and I knew that you would be coming. You were smart not to back out."

Kelsi merely nodded in response. She was going to speak now. She was. And nothing was going to stop her. "Well, since I'm here....you did say...you said it would be worth my while."

"I did indeed. I have your first payment right here. You will get the rest after you lend me your hands." Sharpay stated, picking up a small sack of money from beside her chair and tossed it across the table to Kelsi.

The petite woman carefully untied the knot of the bag and took out one of the gold coins to examine them. She was very accurate and cautious when it came to money. There was no way she would be caught with some counterfeit money or something as petty as pennies. The coin she held looked in perfect condition, as did the rest inside the bag. Nodding to herself, Kelsi placed it back in the bag and resumed the position she had during hers and Sharpay's first meeting. Note to self that the money would go right into the asylum safe. And of course, save a few for herself.

"You have my attention. i'm listening." Mademoiselle Kelsi nodded, sounding much more confident with what now was in her position.

Sharpay leaned in closer and lowered her voice, most likely to be sure that no one would hear them despite the fact that their entire house was deserted. "It's like this: I've got plans to get Taylor out of the picture. She keeps getting all of the attention from guys that is rightfully supposed to be mine. But the girl can't exactly take much of a message to back off. You see, I think that Taylor could use a little persuasion."

Ryan chuckled as he took a sip out of his drink. "Yeah. She even tried to get Taylor off the market by convincing her to marry me. Practically kicked Sharpay out of her farm house before she could even deliver her pitch."

Kelsi's eyes widened at that statement. She was trying her best not to open her had actually tried to convince Taylor and Ryan to get hitched? When did this happen? There was no way.... Ryan and Taylor didn't even like each other! Did they? Whatever, there was just no way it could be true. Oh the way Sharpay irked her without even realizing it!

Sharpay glared at her chuckling brother. Maybe he found it entertaining, but she saw it as one of the worst afternoons of her life. She was completely embarrassed by it. She scowled and knocked the glass right of Ryan's hand so it fell onto the floor and smashed into pieces, creating a puddle of the purple pop on the floor. Ryan took that right away as the cue for him to shut up. Biting his tongue to keep away from his sister's wrath, Ryan scooted in his chair over a few inches away from Sharpay. He then placed both hands on the table and hummed silently to himself as he twiddled his thumbs.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and turned back to Kelsi, trying to ignore her brother's was trying to make a point across, and she was going to do it. "Come on Kelsi, you know as well as I do that Troy's a...a..." she paused to think of the right word, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Now what was it? Crazy? Stupid? Insane? Ridiculous?

Yet somehow, Ryan of all people seemed to know exactly what word to use to describe Troy. As annoying as he was, he just somehow knew. "Cuckoo bananas?"

"Yes, Ryan thank you." Sharpay said, dismissing it at once. Hey it was better than nothing. "Everyone knows that Troy's as cuckoo bananas as they come. How can anyone believe half the stuff coming out of his mouth sometimes? We're talking about the same guy who thinks he can do something more with a toy ball than just bounce it. He even disrupted my party earlier trying to convince us that there was some kind of beast in a castle. And we all know that the nearest castle is just through the woods. And there is no way that there could possibly be any beast in there."

Kelsi knew that Sharpay had a point, but she was one willing to give the benefit of the doubt. At least, the first time around anyway. "Are you sure about that? I mean Troy is technically harmless."

Sharpay looked at her doubtfully. "This is the same guy who has the ability to blow the roof off his own house. Look, I'm trying to make a point here! That ingrate Taylor would do anything to protect her precious brother, especially if it keeps him out of the asylum."

"Yeah. Even listen to Sharpay." Ryan agreed, pointing to his sister. While Kelsi was covering her mouth to hold in some quiet giggles, Sharpay glared at Ryan once again. He sunk lower into his chair and held his fingers against his lips so he wouldn't be able to say anything else.

"I can't say that I understand. What good would it do to throw Troy into the asylum?" Mademoiselle Kelsi asked.

"obviously you're missing the point." she replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "If you throw Troy into the asylum than the only way that Taylor could get him out is if she submitted to anything I wanted. If I told her to get out of town then she'd do it if it meant saving her wacko brother. And with her out of the way I could finally be back on top and have all the boys around here to myself. "

"But then what good would running them out of town do?" Kelsi asked.

Sharpay slammed her hands against the table, making Kelsi now the one to sink into her chair. "are you not following me, woman? This town would be so much better off without Troy. They'd have to move somewhere else. I don't care if it's in the woods or if they feed themselves to the wolves in there or whatever. But at least with them out of the way we wouldn't have to constantly worry about Troy blowing up the town. It's a win-win situation. The town is happy and safe and I'm back in every guy's spotlight again"

As soon as Sharpay backed off, Kelsi was able to sit up in the seat and straighten herself up. "so you want me to throw Troy into the asylum for your own selfish purposes, get back at the girl who's your arch enemy and expect the town to rejoice with us throwing the both of them out of town and assume they'd declare you their hero for doing something so evil in the first place to get back into the lime light." she summed up. "Sharpay...that is so despicable."

"You seem to be forgetting the other portion of your payment." sharpay waved a finger. "The second half, assuming you're still helping, is a date with Ryan."

Ryan's eyes widened as he looked at his sister. "What?" he gasped. While his palms were sweaty and Mademoiselle Kelsi was the only girl he knew could do that, he really wished that Sharpay would have consulted with him about this first. Get his approval or something. He would probably agree in that case, but it was a situation like this that just threw him off. That's what bothered him. The one issue was, it would do no good. It would not be like Sharpay to actually check and make sure Ryan was fine with a girl first...or else she wouldn't have planned to try and hook up Ryan and Taylor in the first place.

Kelsi, however, was just a little different. That was the part of Sharpay's offer that really reeled her in. It was the one thing that she just couldn't say no to. Every girl in town practically fawned over Ryan, but since Kelsi was never really one to go out on the town she wasn't one of those girls like Emma, Jackie, or Lea. Still, there was no way she could let an opportunity like this go to waste. It was a dream come true, but it was also her greedy side gaining control again.

"I love your idea!"

---

In the meantime, Troy was in the farmhouse busy gathering multiple supplies together. Over one of his shoulders was a small knapsack filled with papers and such, most likely maps or food. He had everything together on the table in the living room and was stuffing item after item into the knapsack. He had a most determined look on his face and he was dressed like he was ready to hike through the woods. That could only mean that Troy was doing one thing. After being shut down by nearly everyone in town Troy knew he had to make a change. No one believed him about the Beast, but he knew there was one. He had his sister and was as horrible and vicious as they came. So what if no one dared to believe Troy's wild story? He didn't care if people thought he was crazy or not; he was going to do whatever it took to get Taylor back and there was no stopping him. But the one thing that didn't stop for certain was Troy's craziness. If anything else, it had to be a source of comic relief for the current situation. Even now he was talking to himself like he was going to answer back as a different person.

"They won't help me, they say. They think I'm going nuts, they say. Well who needs them? If they won't help me then I'll just have to go back by myself."

And then of course, he did talk back to himself. However it was his more level headed side who was just trying to point out the common sense. "C'mon dude, let's be realistic. You can't do this alone. You saw how big that Beast was."

Troy looked in the other direction he had been facing in, like his realistic side was standing right in front of him. "Yeah, and you saw it too. But does anyone believe us about that monster? No. He has our sister. what are we supposed to do, just sit around?"

Then he faced in the opposite direction. Maybe a better way to describe his current actions was looking between his two shoulders as though there was an angel on one side and a devil on the other...only not with the good and evil personalities. "Well of course not, but it's dangerous to just go out there alone. What about the value of being in a group? United we stand."

"united, shmunited."

"Ok now you're just tuning me out."

"Well maybe I have a reason to tune you out."

"Hey I'm just trying to help you. We can't go out there on our own and that's final."

Going back to being the scatter-brained Troy, he began grabbing a bunch of random stuff around the house and stuffing them into his pockets.

His level headed side of mind began talking again, "Dude what are you taking a miniature globe for? We're not leaving France."

"Maybe I wanna take a miniature globe with me for company."

"Oh so you're not gonna take one of your toy balls either?"

"Hey that's a great idea!" Troy automatically ran to grab the first ball he could find - in this case, a golf ball - and forced it into his other pocket.

"that ball is not gonna keep you much company. You can't just go in over your head. It's not the companionship I was trying to get at!"

and then crazy Troy struck again by grabbing a pair of pantyhose from one of the drawers and stuffed it in his pockets, having the bottoms stick out and drag across the floor.

"Ok you really don't need those. Why would you wear pantyhose?" Now it was pretty much just his conscience talking...or, for a case of cartoons, a transparent Troy standing across from the actual Troy trying to reason with him and speaking the truth while the actual Troy jumped from one thing to another and wasn't thinking straight because of the concern he currently harbored.

And obviously, crazy Troy wouldn't listen even if the cartoon-esque scene were true. "I'll go out there and get Taylor back myself!" he insisted before grabbing a lantern and storming out the door, closing it behind him.

If there was still a shadow of the imaginary sane Troy in the house he would probably either say something like, "who's going to feed the chickens' or 'hey turn these lights off, you're wasting electricity'.

In the darkness of the navy blue almost black sky, Troy placed his hat on to protect his hat from any sunlight during the day and marched off towards the woods with one goal in mind: save his sister. What Troy was unaware of, and out of eyesight and earshot by the time it had occurred, was a carriage pulling up to his house. Troy was already well on his way to the woods and he wasn't looking back. So he had no idea what was about to unfold at home.

There was first a pounding on the house door. silence for a few seconds. Then more pounding. That was the last straw, because moments later a buff guy slammed into the door and knocked it down to smithereens. Into the house stepped Sharpay with Ryan loyally by her side. The blond beauty smiled and pat the buff guy on his hard abs. Yes, something that really should have been taken out of a Disney movie to reduce the subliminal messaging. Turning her head, Sharpay scanned the living room quickly for any signs of life...or intelligence. Well, life in Troy's case and intelligence in Taylor's case. And let's face it, in her eyes there was no way both of them could be both adjectives. She decided to put on the sweet act first and see if that would get them to come out, as the room looked completely deserted.

"Oh Troy, why don't you and your wonderful sister come out here?"

But there was no response.

"Um Sharpay...?" Ryan asked as he stood by the doorway, "...I really think they may not be home now...."

"Shut up Ryan!" Sharpay snapped, glaring at her brother for probably the tenth time that night before looking around again. Alright, sweetie-sweet time was up. "Troy, Taylor! Get your farmer butts out here right now!"

And yet there was still nothing. Ryan hoped that they could get out of it while they were ahead.

"Well that's too bad, Shar. We tried. Guess this plan just isn't gonna work after all." He was about to turn and walk out of the house when the buff guy reached out and grabbed Ryan, most likely upon Sharpay's command.

Sharpay placed her hands on her hips and smiled innocently at who must have been her body guard. "Thank you, Mr. F. You may put my brother down when ready. But I suggest doing it outside." She waved her finger, a signal for him to follow her. The buff guy obeyed Sharpay and followed her outside. In a large pile of snow just at the foot of the stone steps leading to the front door, the guy dropped Ryan in the cold, frozen water, when instructed to by Sharpay. Ryan stuck his head out from the snow and rubbed his arms rapidly, feeling the chill of them quite quickly.

Sharpay folded her arms and leaned down to look her twin in the eyes. "They have to come back sometime, Ryan. They have nowhere else to go besides here. So when they do, we'll be ready for them." She stood up straight and pointed right at him as she walked backwards to her carriage. "Don't move from that spot Ryan, until the two of them come home!" She got into the carriage while her buff bodyguard-like figure sat in front to take the reigns of the horse. Sharpay slammed the carriage door as they rode off back to their large house in the night.

"Sharpay...Shar you know you can count on me, but..." he started. But she was already out of sight. Dang that horse was fast! Ryan groaned and counted help but pull his hat off and shake it over him; little did he realize that on the top of the stone stairs was a large pile of snow that had yet to be removed. Ryan's hat got in the way of that and was somehow able to knock the snow off the stone and right onto his head. He fell, buried into the snow, and knew he had no choice now but to wait. "Oh jazz square." he moaned from under all the snow.

He was just hoping for one thing above everything else: that he would be able to leave to go to the bathroom!

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**http :// img32 .image shack. us /img32 /2475/ character 3. jpg (NO SPACES)**- Yeah, just gotta put the no spaces reminder cause it might be hard to tell where the spaces are sometimes if there are any. XD So I'll keep this picture description quick, it is Gabriella as Mrs. Potts. She was very tricky to do and I honestly know she didn't come out the best. I think part of it might have been the proportions but the other issue was because it was a teapot so there really isn't enough room for detail or to try and show the resemblance. I was trying to make the teapot cap resemble Gabriella's bangs a little, but the bottom of it with those heart shapes is probably the give away that it's her, as well as the heart-type pattern on her stand thing. So when Donny comes up next I can't exactly promise he'll be a work of masterpiece either. 0-0 So about this chapter, it was the scene from the movie. I hope you guys can see why I chose Kelsi for her role, its kind of so she and Ryan could be together and because in the beginning of all the HSM madness Kelsi was so quick to give in to Sharpay it was easy for her to agree with anything, so there's a decent example of that up there. Then we have Troy's little scene and I made his appearance a tad longer than it was in the movie because I thought this chapter with all the evil planning going on could use some comic relief. And it's to show that Troy here can be as level headed as he can be in HSM...he just chooses not to, I guess. lol And the ending scene, it may have been a bit much for Sharpay to do to Ryan and I understand that. I was mainly following in with the movie and I couldn't picture anything else happening. Like where else for Ryan to hide or anything like that. And the whole part where the snow fell on top of him and he said 'jazz square'...yeah, couldn't resist that. xD So, I'm hoping it was a decent chapter overall, and we will see when Sharpay and Ryan make their next appearance in here. I'm just sorry that this chapter couldn't have been too much longer. There's a couple of more songs coming up so I know I gotta start preparing for those. So next chapter, get ready to return to the Chaylor side cause that's what we're going to see. ^^


	14. Chapter 13

Yeah I know I'm updating this kinda fast here but I just couldn't resist. xD I don't have any ideas yet for A Week at Lava Springs, and I'm still working on putting together the next chapter of Deleted HSM Scenes. Now I am putting up a poll on my profile for the next story I should write. I can't completely decide so that's why I'm asking for you guys opinions. This story here should be done by the time I start school again so updates may slow down a bit, I will just say now. So let's get on with this chapter. We are back on the Chaylor train and I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks for reviews on the previous chapter: Rockyshadow, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, and ActingPrincess. In a few chapters I will be saying thank you to all who have reviewed the story itself. ^^  
Disclaimer: I don't own the song, characters, story, or anything.

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Not too much time has past since the wolf incident. It was probably around a week or two at most. The Beast's arm was healing quite nicely, though he was still wearing the bandage on his arm. He just couldn't help but keep rubbing his arm right where the bandage was and thinking about how every time he needed a fresh one it was Taylor who took care of it, and that she was the one who helped it the first time. The Beast couldn't get it out of his head. It had happened because he had to go off and fight all those wolves. he didn't even remember what had pushed him to do something so reckless. It could have been when Zeke and Jason ran to tell him that Taylor had left the castle and gone to the woods and they're the ones who convinced him to go after her. Or maybe it was the guilt he felt from snapping at her from going into he West Wing. But that was in the past. The Beast had done it and they were both back in the castle safe and sound. Everything seemed to be calming down. Even when the Beast talked he was going better at controlling his temper. He barely raised his voice and he spoke so much was a big change for someone so fast. But all the enchanted objects knew very well that he was changing for the better and that it was a sign the spell could be broken soon.

The ground was covered with snow but it was one of those slightly warmer days where just a jacket was fine and no earmuffs, gloves, or anything of the sort was necessary. The sky was bright and there was no snow falling from the clouds. the Beast was watching into the castle's yard, leaning against the banister of the balcony with Jason on it watching along with him. In the yard Taylor was walking Jimmie, giving him some daily exercise as opposed to just having him sit around and watching the empty space near him. He had been fed and he was getting attention, which he was obviously enjoying. Taylor let him by the reigns as she walked in front of him through the white covered ground and he playfully nudged her with his nose. Taylor smiled and shook her head as she rubbed his head and stroked his mane.

Prancing around in the snow was a very eager Boi, barking happily as he left his footstool paw prints in the snow and dug through it like he was looking for some bones. His tail was wagging rapidly and the other side of him, technically where his head would be, was covered in snow from all of his digging. He picked his head up and ran back over to Taylor, circling her very actively. Taylor giggled as she watched would would be the dog and picked him up in her arms. If it was easy to tell where his mouth was, or if he had one, he would probably be licking her like crazy.

The Beast never once took his eyes off of her. He ran his paw against his healing arm again. A whole bunch of thoughts were running through his head. She was happier now. She had done so much to help him. She didn't seem scared of him anymore. He actually felt...better. Like he was a better person...Beast...better guy. It just relaxed him to know that. The one thought that kept coming back to him was, 'why'? Why did he keep feeling that way? Why was it so easy for him to develop those feelings? It wasn't like he could have been falling in love already. It wasn't logical; even he knew that. But he knew he had some feelings. He wasn't as cold-hearted as he was at the beginning. But even if the Beast wasn't sure what was going on he knew Taylor had something to do with it.

He took his eyes off of his arm and looked down towards Taylor again. "I...I never felt this way about anyone before." he admitted to himself, even though Jason was practically next to him. Ok, so that was step one - he admitted to his feelings. Sort of. At least it wasn't denial. So then what was next? "I...I think I wanna do something nice for her." he decided. He almost looked excited about it. There were plenty of things he could do for a girl. Give her some chocolates...but wait, he couldn't exactly go out and buy any and he didn't know if there was any chocolate in the castle. He could get flowers...no, it was impossible to grow flowers around here anymore. He could give her a cuddly teddy bear with a heart attached...oh but that was so corny. Who did something stupid like that? Alright this wasn't going over as well as he planned. He automatically looked to Jason for help...even if it was mainly because he was the only one around at the moment. "But what?"

Jason hadn't heard everything the Beast had said. 'But what?" he asked, looking at the master.

"What can I do that's nice for Taylor?" the Beast replied.

"You sure you don't wanna ask Zeke? I mean the last time I tried to impress a girl the next thing I knew I was baking inside a pie in Jack's kitchen." Jason said.

"He's not here right now." the Beast reminded him, doing his best to control his temper. "So that leaves you. Now give me some advice before I make an idiot of myself in front of her again."

Oh yes, can't forget how just a few days ago the Beast had tripped on the rug in one of the hallways just watching Taylor pass by. Yup, something was definitely happening with them. Or starting to anyway. Jason began counting a few ideas off his fingers...or what of them he had at least. "Well there's a sappy movie, a nice outfit, dinner, flowers, chocolates..."

"I already knew those." the Beast rolled his eyes.

"Well what about promises you don't intend to keep?" Jason suggested.

Luckily Zeke had come out and made his way onto the balcony's banister. Perfect timing on his part; a comment like the one Jason had just made might be the one to really tick the Beast off. "Ah Jason I can see you have lost your touch a bit with the women. It can't just be something simple and classic with this girl. We have to mix it up a little, make it more original. "Zeke said. "It has to be something very special. Something that sparks her interest..." He was silent for a few minutes as he thought. But of course! Why didn't he think of it two seconds ago? It was so obvious about what could win her over. He smiled widely and held up one of his arms eagerly. "Wait a minute...!"

---

Not too long later the Beast was leading Taylor down one of the nicer hallways. They stopped at two regular sized doors, though they were obviously leading to a big room. The Beast knew that Taylor would just love it. It was all planned perfectly. Alright he had Zeke to thank for that, but he wasn't going to do it right away. He was changing but it wasn't much a huge miracle or anything. The Beast turned around and waited until Taylor was caught up with him before he said anything.

"Taylor, there's something I wanna show you." the Beast said, still sounding calm. And he still had a smile on his face, like he was excited. He reached for the door handles to open them, but saw that Taylor was looking right over his shoulder to see what was inside. Her curiosity had definitely been peaked. The Beast quickly closed the doors. "But first," he added turning back to her, "you have to close your eyes."

Taylor raised an eyebrow, wondering what to expect from this more nonchalant and relaxed Beast.

But instead of the Beast raising his voice and insisting she do it like he did when she first arrive, he continued speaking calmly. His voice was soft and it wasn't even close to being raised. "It's a surprise."

Taylor kept an eyebrow raised and examined him. She didn't believe him at first, actually. She had noticed the Beast's slow transition from easily angered to more calm, cool, and collected but somehow it just threw her off. It was a completely different side to him and as much as she hated to admit it, this was probably the longest she had communicated with the Beast. Whenever she had replaced his bandage or just stopped by to check on him they hadn't said anything to each other. It wasn't some incomplete tension that needed to be investigated because that aura never surrounded them. Maybe awkward at times, but never tense. And as much as she would often have the urge to, she could never seem to deny that there was some kind of attraction slowly growing between the two of them. It made Taylor wonder if this had something to do with it. Nevertheless, she gave into the Beast and closed her eyes as instructed.

The Beast gently waved his paw in front of her face to make sure that her eyes were closed. Her head didn't move once nor did she even try to peak. He smiled at this, knowing that finally there was a way to get someone to do something without yelling or forcing them to. Turning back to the doors, he swung them open in a very vivacious manner before turning back to Taylor. Lightly taking her hands in his paws, he led her into the room. It wasn't just a few steps so they would be standing by the doorway; it was much more than that. The room must have been large, because the Beast instructed her to wait here, as in where they were currently standing. It must have been somewhere in the center of the room. The Beast moved over to the curtains and opened them, emitting the sunlight into the previously dimly lit room. Even with Taylor's eyes closed she could still tell that it had gotten lighter in there. The Beast expected nothing less. He moved to open the next set of curtains, bringing the room up to its ultimate brightness.

"Now can I open them?" Taylor asked, knowing that this was all leading up to something big.

"Alright." the Beast nodded, the grin widening on his face as he waited to see her reaction. "Now."

Taylor opened her eyes, only squinting at first to get used to the sudden brightness. Her first sight was merely the Beast standing by the windows but she slowly turned her head around to not only see the largest room she has yet to see in the entire castle but the possibly largest room in the castle filled with books. Mountains of books ,piles of books, stack loads of books.... This must have been the library that Jason and Zeke went on and on about when they first tried to keep Taylor out of the West Wing. There were shelves that went as high as the ceiling and there wasn't a single shelf that didn't have the exact same amount of books nor any empty spaces. There were staircases and ladders that helped lead to the higher shelves, there was a huge book near the window which much have been a directory for all the sections or something to alphabetize the books in. There was even a desk and lap where she could sit and read as many books as she wanted. And turning to her left she could see the room going on. It wasn't just one of those square or rectangular shaped rooms. It was more of an L shaped room. Any why shouldn't it be? It was probably holding over fifty thousand books. Alright, that was a bit of an exaggeration but there had to be at least a good thousand books in there.

Taylor's mouth dropped with excitement as she examined the whole area. "I...I can't believe this. It's...oh my God." She couldn't even seem to describe how she felt at the minute. "I've never seen so many books in my life."

At first the Beast couldn't believe it. He just couldn't have imagined Taylor's reaction to be shocked. Maybe it was overjoyed. Or a combination of the two? "You...like it?" he asked hopefully, watching her circle around and eying as many inches of the library as she could.

"It's absolutely wonderful!" she exclaimed.

She loved it! Ding ding ding, he has a winner! They are definitely going somewhere with this. It was a success. And if there was something starting between the two of them, now was the perfect time to show it. "Then it's yours."

Taylor blinked and looked at him. "Mine? This whole library's mine? But it's your castle..."

"And this is yours. To use as you like. You can come in here whenever you want. It's all yours." the Beast told her.

She couldn't even express the gratitude she was feeling right now. The entire time she had been 'trapped' or 'living' in the castle, this was the most it's ever felt like a home to her. "Thank you. Thank you so much. Just...thank you."

What neither of them realized in all of their happiness was that they were actually being watched. Just at the end of the hallway, peaking into the opened doors of the library Zeke, Jason, Gabriella, Donny, and Tiara were watching and evaluating the situation. And while they couldn't hear everything that was being said between the pair they knew that something was going on. It was the excitement they had while moving around the library and the smiles they had on each others' faces.

Gabriella was the first to speak up. "Can you guys believe that?"

"Haha, I knew it would work!" Zeke cheered.

"What would work?" Donny asked eagerly trying to see through all of them and see what was going on.

Jason chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said as he and Zeke made their exits first.

"This is exciting. We have so much planning to do." Tiara said as she followed the boys. "Someone get some paper and a pen, I'll tell you exactly what to write down."

"What would work, Gabby?" Donny asked as he hopped over to his sister. "Nothing happened. I didn't see anything? What's going on Gabby?"

"Not now, Donny. We have to get started on that planning. And I think you have a few chores to take care of." Gabriella said as she started following the others.

"But I wanna know what was going on." Donny whined as he struggled to keep up with the group. "What was going on Gabby? Please tell me? Was he trying to make a move?"

---

The day turned into the next day very easily. The weather pattern had barely changed and the relaxed aura hadn't once been removed from the castle. Taylor had barely left the library and every so often the Beast would walk in to see her reading or to see how she was doing. Not once did he check on the status of the rose, the one thing that was probably keeping him alive now. But it was no secret that since his eyes had last been laid on it, the rose had wilted even more. Time would be running out soon and the enchanted objects were more aware of it than anyone. That's why today was the day that they were really going to make something happen. with all the events that had occurred since the start of Taylor's stay, a relationship was most promised between her and the Beast. The servants even had friendly debates, eager to see how far it would go.

Gabriella had offered plenty of theories, also having grown very closely with Taylor. Now it wasn't like she revealed any of Taylor's thoughts to the group but she did suggest hints as to what she thought of the Beast. Gabriella suggested that ever since the wolf incident, Taylor had earned a sense of respect for the master and it was the first big step into seeing past his fur. But Gabriella also made it a point that affections can't be won over night so it was best not to rush into anything. They could meddle and offer their assistance in the slightest ways, but they couldn't overdo anything or else something would go wrong.

Zeke and Jason, however, saw it a little differently. they wanted to rush a little more into it. Zeke had often checked on the status of the rose and knew they had to do something. He could tell easiest out of anyone that the Beast's feelings for Taylor were growing more rapidly than hers, which led Gabriella to offer more theories. She believed that since the Beast's temper toned down greatly he has been given the chance to step back and see for himself what a great catch Taylor was and that there was more to her than a stubborn attitude and a pretty face. Zeke sounded most certain that it was love and Jason, as usual, was offering up numerous crazy suggestions to get them together and confess their feelings. Luckily no one agreed to them, as they knew all of his ideas would end up in failure or blowing up in his face. But Zeke and Jason were growing tired of the current body structure and desperately wanted to be human again. The sooner the Beast and Taylor could get together the sooner that would happen. However, speeding like the Road Runner in a situation like this was the last thing they needed. It was best to take it one step at a time.

The group decided to start out with lunch. They had worked together to make a tasty meal, though not exactly their fanciest work, and set it up on a small table as opposed to the longer table where one person might have to yell to be heard when they asked for the salt. That didn't stop them from trying to make it feel slightly romantic, however. In the middle of the rectangular table was a candelabra well lit and the table was set in a small area of the castle, but with windows surrounding nearly every side of them. Really, what couple didn't like lunch with a view?

The meal was completely silent, most likely another one of those awkward times. Gabriella and Donny stayed at the table to assist with tea or anything like that, and to keep an eye to make sure they weren't making fools of themselves...or rather that the Beast wasn't making a fool of himself. Shortly after the pair was seated they began eating the warm soup. Gabriella looked over at Taylor first; she had taken one small sip of the appetizer from her spoon and already seemed to be enjoying it. She gave Gabriella a thankful smile, which Gabriella returned with a nod. Donny, at that moment, was keeping his eye on the Beast. He tapped Gabriella on her side with his cup handle and they both turned to see their master eating from his soup bowl like a slobbering mutt. His entire chin and a great majority of his snout was completely covered in the soup. The liquid was flying all over, almost making a mess out of his entire eating area. Gabriella's eyes widened at the sight and she looked at Taylor, who had quite a shocked look as well. Not exactly the lunch date she'd have in mind. Taylor took her gaze away from the Beast and unsteadily took another sip from her spoon.

The Beast wiped the soup away from his face with the help of his sleeve and looked at the teapot and teacup, both of who had uneasy looks on their faces. Gabriella bit her lower lip, trying to keep herself from saying anything that might sound rude. The last thing they needed was to risk the master's temper making a return appearance. Donny looked a bit on edge about it as well. Then he looked over at the clean spoon on the side which the Beast hadn't dared to touch. A smile came across Donny's face as he hopped over to it and gently pushed the spoon closer to the Beast. The master looked at it uneasily; he hadn't touched a utensil in a long time. He wasn't sure he could remember how to use it. But then again, this was sort of kind of...guess one could say, a date. He had to make a good impression. Eating like a filthy animal certainly wouldn't do that. Boy, was he a jerk! Gulping, he reached for the spoon and grasped it tightly in his much larger paw.

Taylor slowly returned her gaze to him as she watched the Beast try and get some soup on the spoon. His paw was so large it was covering almost the entire utensil, leaving almost no room for the soup in it. The Beast was most certainly struggling with it. But he knew there was still some soup covering his face and he didn't bother to remove it. He just had to focus on trying to work this thing...come on, get in the mouth. Oh wait, that was a bad idea. His fangs could rip it apart in a second. The first problem...he accidentally tilted the spoon too much and the soup that was on it spilled right onto his pants. Donny bit his tongue so he wouldn't laugh that time. It was too soon to make jokes about that anyway. But he would certainly have to remember to tell his fellow teacups about it. Or he could just turn the story around completely and say the master wet his pants. Boy would that get him in trouble! Luckily he wasn't the only one who was trying not to laugh. Taylor covered her mouth to suppress even the smallest of giggles from escaping her. Straightening her position in her seat, she continued to eat the soup...drink or eat? Well it was one of those.

Gabriella gave the Beast a look, urging him to try again with the soup. The Beast gulped and picked up the spoon, wiping it off with his sleeve. He started out the same way again, barely getting any soup in the spoon as he tried binging it to his mouth. He could tell that even though he wasn't tilting the spoon this time, however, the liquid continued to drip steadily. He put his free paw underneath it so he wouldn't get any more food on the table...or him, for that matter. Unable to even get the spoon close to his mouth, whether he was worried about biting it or not, he let the soup drip from the spoon into his mouth, even holding his tongue out for reassurance. It still looked sloppy, but that was one of the reasons why Donny didn't hold back any laughter that time. It earned him a look from Gabriella, but he took that as his cue to keep quiet right away.

Taylor could see the sloppiness in the Beast's eating habits as well. Boy...this was some lunch. There had to be some way to make it work. After all, he did just try to use a utensil with his overly sized paws. Then again...who said she had to use a spoon either? It kind of gave her an idea. Taylor smiled weakly as she put down her spoon and picked up her bowl in both hands. The Beast saw what she was doing and followed her lead. They held out their soups to each other, almost like they were toasting each other. But neither of them ate like animals nor used their utensils. They actually brought the edge of the bowl to their mouths and drank it that way. Or ate it. It was the perfect way to compromise. Looks like another winner.

After lunch the Beast changed out of his soup covered clothes and into some more decent ones. He met Taylor outside in the yard where she was feeding some birds. They were flocking all around trying to pick up the bread crumbs she was tossing out to Beast walked over to her through the snow with his paws behind his back. Everything looked so calm and peaceful out here, why hadn't he noticed it before. Taylor noticed the Beast coming over and gave him a smile. He returned it and held out his hands, wanting to help give the birds their lunch as well. Taylor placed a little bit of food in his paws and watched as he leaned down, eager to feed the hungry feathered fellows. Taylor watched him and could almost hear a melody in her head just thinking about him.

_There's something sweet_

_And almost kind_

_But he was mean, and he was coarse, and unrefined_

The Beast held out his paws at an instant he got close enough to the birds. The poor things were scared by the sudden surprise and flapped their wings, though not flying too far away. When they landed in the snow again, the Beast took a few more paw steps forward and tried to get them their food again.

_And now he's dear_

_And so unsure_

_I wonder why I didn't see it there before_

She shook her head at the Beast and walked over to him. Getting down and sitting by his side, she placed some more bird food into his paws and let them down to touch the snow. Most of the birds rushed away with fear, though one bird didn't seem to notice. Taylor took some of the food out of his paws and laid it out on the snow, trailing a path from the bird into the paws. Surely enough, the Beast's paws looked like a death trap with his sharp claws. But this bird just wanted its lunch. It happily munched on some of the crumbs on the ground before jumping right into his hands where the rest of the pile was. A wide smile came across the Beast's face as he watched the reaction of the bird. And as he looked at Taylor from the corner of his eye he couldn't help but think about her almost to the same melody.

_She glanced this way, I thought I saw_

_And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw_

As a bird landed on Taylor's shoulder she got up and briefly touched the Beast's arm. He was a bit shocked at first, and then saw her walk away with the bird. He even thought he saw her glance at him and he began wondering if it was all in his imagination. He shook his head and looked away. He knew that couldn't be it. But he picked up his head and looked at her again, seeing Taylor move behind a tree. He didn't even take the time to notice another bird munching in his paw nor one landing on his own shoulder.

_No it can't be, I'll just ignore_

_But then she's never looked at me that way before_

Taylor leaned her back up against the tree, briefly fiddling with her fingers as though she were trying to put the situation together. Was something more really beginning to develop? She could certainly see it...but it was uncharted territory. What if it was all a trick? Besides the last place she would have ever imagined herself was beside a Beast.

_New and a bit alarming_

_How'd have ever thought that this could be?_

She removed the hood from her head and peaked out from behind the tree at him. She watched him for a minute and he wasn't the same Beast that she had first come in contact with. And then a smile came across her face as she saw him almost completely covered in birds. He had both his paws out and standing like a statue and almost every inch of his upper body was covered in the feathered creatures.

_True that he's no Prince Charming_

_But there's something in him that I simply didn't see_

The Beast moved a couple of inches and the birds automatically flew off and he shook his head. So many feathers...he wanted to feed the birds, not get bathed in them. And as soon as he went to make eye contact with Taylor, his eyes came in contact with a snowball...which happened to smack him right in the face. Taylor covered her mouth as she watched him shake the snow off of him. The Beast smirked and leaned in towards the snow, gathering as much of it as he could into the biggest snowball ever. But when he tried to throw it, it just ended up flying up, then falling down and covering him in the snow.

As all of that was going on, Zeke, Jason and Gabriella were watching from inside as the two had their bit of fun outside. The Beast was now chasing after Taylor and the group couldn't help but enjoy the sight. They knew something was going on. Zeke was the first to speak up to the same tune. He turned right to Gabriella and Jason with a big smile.

_"Well who'd have thought?"_

Gabriella joined in next, followed by Jason as they turned away from the window and faced Zeke.

_"Well, bless my soul"_

_"Well who'd have known?"_

_"Well, who indeed?"_

They hopped down from the window as Taylor and the Beast headed inside and they tried to keep an eye on the two, not wanting to miss a single moment. The lines went back and forth between Gabriella and Zeke as they hopped along the carpets and Jason struggled to keep up with them, occasionally tripping on his own feet.

_"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?"_

_"It's so peculiar"_

_"Wait and see a few days more"_

The Beast removed Taylor's coat and hung it on the caot rack by the fire place. Taylor picked up her books and stressed out the dress she was wearing to keep her warm so it almost lay flat on the floor. The Beast then walked over and sat down beside her, looking over her shoulder as she read...even if most of it was just to herself. The enchanted objects were now all standing in the doorway secretly watching them. Almost as if the three were reading each others minds, they said just what was on their own mind.

_"there may be something there that wasn't there before"_

Jason rubbed his chin and turned away from the door to look at his friends, almost like he was finally getting the message and he had just been pretending to understand the whole time.

_"You know, maybe there is something there that wasn't there before"_

Donny once again jumped up and down eagerly, wanting to know what they were talking about. It was almost like gibberish to him. "What? What's there?"

Gabriella just smiled. She looked at her friends, then back at Donny.

_"There may be something there that wasn't there before."_

"What? what's there Gabby? Tell me." Donny begged.

"Maybe when you're older." Gabriella giggled.

"Gabriella, do you really want to do that? It's going to mean a very big talk when he gets older." Tiara whispered.

"What talk? I wanna be big. Tell me!" Donny complained.

"Have fun explaining all that to him." Jason chuckled. Then he blinked. "Wait...what do you need to explain to him?"

Zeke shook his head. "Let's give it a rest for the day, Jason. Come, we have much planning to do for tomorrow night!"

"what's tomorrow night?" Jason asked, watching Zeke hop away.

"We said give it a few days more, but I don't think we can wait that long!" Zeke called.

"Let me handle this Zeke." Tiara sighed following him. "I know romance. Let me run the meeting."

"sorry, ma'cherie, I'm running the meeting." Zeke replied.

"But I wanna run the meeting, too." Jason complained like a little kid. "Why don't I ever get to do the fun stuff?" He rushed to try and catch up with Zeke and Tiara.

Donny raised an eyebrow, then shook his head at Jason. "Boy, he's sure being a big baby."

* * *

**http :// img196. image shack .us /img196 /3599/ character 4. jpg**- No spaces as usual. There we have Donny, same deal as Gabriella. Not too much detail because it's a little hard to incorporate detail in a little teacup. I tried to make him in the shape of his actual head, and the edge of the cup where you drink from it outlining kind of like his hair against his head, you know? And unlike Gabriella's heart-like pattern at the bottom his is more circular to hopefully have you think of basketballs. Anyway, as far as this chapter goes you really see things developing between the two titular characters but I wasn't trying to rush those feelings to develop which is why I put kind of like a time period in there, like the one to two doesn't exactly rule this chapter so I hope there's not too much descriptions or anything either. Mainly towards the end of the chapter was extra dialogue with the 'enchanted objects' and to, as usual, leave it off on a humorous type note. The next chapter will loosely be based on the deleted scene from the movie but although there was a song in that scene I'm not sure if I'll incorporate it yet. Now the next story to be updated will be Deleted HSM Scenes, which is half way typed, and I am putting up a poll for you guys to vote on which story idea I should start next, hopefully which will be starting when I start school. and I have two questions about this story that I would like to hear your opinions on, as I'm currently on the fence about them.  
1) In the end, should Sharpay possibly hook up with Zeke or Troy?  
2) You know how at the end of the actual movie during the credits the longer version of "Beauty and the Beast" sung by Celine Dion and Paebo Bryson is played right, so I would like to know if you guys want to see that, the song in a music video-esque chapter at the end, or a combination of the two.  
That should do it here. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and you do know that shortly there will be another song coming up which has to mean the movie won't be too far from over. As far as the chapters...well, just see for yourself. 0=) And to end this on a light note, even if some of you may have known this, I found out that Beauty and the Beast is one of Corbin Bleu's favorite movies so that makes it absolutely perfect for his character to be one of the titular ones. Boo-yeah to that! ^^ Thanks for listening.


	15. Chapter 14

Ok so here now we are going to have another scene that's not exactly in the movie. It's based on the deleted scene from Beauty and the Beast, but without the deleted song. I had been watching the movie on youtube so many times since starting this story and since only seeing the deleted scene/song once or twice, I do not think I could pull it off. however, I may have an idea how to incorporate the deleted song in, but if you guys remember my questions in the previous chapter then I think those take priority. I'm not going to say the score for Sharpay ending up with Troy or Zeke, but I will keep listening in for you guys' opinions and I know I mentioned to a couple of reviewers my reasoning for the question. As for the other chapter I'd like to include, basically it's either going to be the credits to the movie (or in this case, combined movies) with the reversion of "Beauty and the Beast" or kind of like a typed music video of that song (but not with the original two singers singing it 0=) ). I will post the questions again at the end of the next chapter, though, and once in a while until the close end of the story. But right now let's focus on this chapter shall we? Thanks to the reviews of last chapter: Chaylorxtraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, MermaidRam85, Seabreezylady18, Rockyshadow, Actingprincess, Mzwendy, and VaanarsRule (for some reason I can't reply to your review and it's not showing up so I will say this to it: thanks for your input on the first question and, while I don't have everything figured out about it yet and wanted people's opinions on it, the answers to the question will pretty much determine if it ends up T&S or S&Z).  
Disclaimer: Me owny nothing.

* * *

"Alright people, we've got a lot of work to do." Jason announced the next day. "Tonight's gonna be big and we have to do it right. We got like twelve hours and change to create the most romantical magical evening the world has ever known. Hey...hey guys! Is anyone listening to me?"

In the main hallway, of course no one was paying attention to Jason. They were much too busy talking amongst themselves. Jason should have expected as much...no really, he should have...come on, no one ever listens to him. He thought he was allowed to run this meeting after begging Zeke and Tiara for the job. But some job he was doing. What would it take to get some attention - and possibly respect - around here?

In the front of the group were of course the main enchanted objects: Zeke, Gabriella, Donny, and Tiara. As for Jack and Boi...well Jack was kind of stuck in the kitchen at the moment and Boi was running eagerly all around the hall. Donny was with all the other tea cups and they were just making jokes and goofing off. Gabriella was keeping an eye on him, yet wasn't too far from Zeke or Tiara to overhear their conversation. And Tiara and Zeke...well, they were having their own little discussion.

"Who does he think he's kidding?" Tiara muttered to Zeke. "I could do a much better job of telling everyone what to do than Jason."

"I know, ma'cherie, I know." Zeke replied to who was supposedly his girlfriend. "But Jason wanted to do this. You saw how eager he was. How were we supposed to say no to him?"

"Very easily. We open our mouths and say no." she told him simply.

"But that would hurt Jason's feelings. He's the butt of so many jokes around here. Look at him, he's just trying to feel appreciated." Zeke sighed. And how true that all was.

"Every other part of him has been crushed at some point in the last two years." Tiara pointed out.

"Don't you mean three?" Zeke raised an eyebrow.

"No, he was trying to protect himself at all costs that first year, remember?" Tiara replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah..." Zeke recalled. Who could forget all the times that Jason either tried to run around in a rubber ball or covered himself in some kind of armor.

"Alright, why don't you two break it up." Gabriella said as she went over to them. She'd heard enough. "tiara maybe if you kept quiet we could hear Jason speaking."

"Excuse me, was I the one talking just two seconds ago?" Tiara asked coldly.

Zeke could tell that if these girls went head to head it would not be a pretty sight. Gabriella and Tiara could get along once in a while but most of the time...most of the time they just hated each other for once reason or another. He decided it would be best to talk to Gabriella about this. He couldn't count how many times it was the two of them trying to accomplish something around there. Jason was his best friend so Gabriella was his best female friend. After all, growing up in the castle what else was the be expected of them? There's no other explanation as to why they're the group that are always together. As for Tiara, she may be sweet around Zeke and who knows, some other guys, but she was much more ruthless than Gabriella. Zeke didn't want to take any chances with these girls.

"Um...excuse me for a moment, mademoiselle." he told Tiara politely before taking Gabriella away from her. But before Zeke could say anything, Gabriella beat him to the punch.

"Why do you put up with her, Zeke?"

"Wha...what do you mean?" Zeke nearly stammered.

Gabriella was no fool. She was perfectly sweet and innocent, but no one tried to push around her friends. Guess one could say that she just did not know when to keep her mouth shut. It would end up being a downfall one day. "Tiara thinks she's so great just because the master allowed her to travel all the way from her home in England to come here and work for royalty. It's like she can sometimes get special treatment because of that so she expects everyone else to give it to her. What do you even see in her?"

"She's pretty and English." Zeke stated simply.

"And there's something else isn't there?" Gabriella assumed. After all, Zeke was not that shallow. Or shallow at all for that matter.

"And what can I say?" he shrugged. "I like girls who know how to take charge."

"Well she's not the only one. So get your head out of the feather dusted cloud and help Jason run this meeting." she urged.

"Wow Gabs...didn't realize you wanted to be human again so badly." Zeke replied.

"Oh that's not why I want to do this," she shook her head. "You know I'm a sucker for a happy ending."

"Of course you are." Zeke muttered. He should have known she was going to say that.

"And it would be kind of nice to be taller than a fourth of a foot, too." she admitted.

"Knew it." Zeke chuckled.

"Ok, you can stop rubbing it in now." Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Hello!" Jason called out. "Is anyone taking the meeting seriously?"

Everyone turned to Jason and looked at him doubtfully. Let's see now...Jason never took anything seriously; no one ever took Jason seriously; no one took anything Jason did seriously; Jason didn't take the most serious situations seriously.... So as long as he was 'in charge' of this meeting why should anyone take it seriously? Such a support group the castle staff could be. Not.

Zeke sighed and went onto the stairs. He got by Jason's side and tried to get everyone's attention. "Come now everyone, let's give Jason a chance. I'm sure he's a got a perfectly good reason why we should all listen to him."

Jason looked at Zeke confused. "I do?"

"Yes you do." Zeke mumbled to him.

"Well what do I have?"

"The rose."

"I don't have a rose."

"Yes you do."

"Oh, you're giving me a rose?"

Zeke hit his head. He looked at Jason from the corner of his eye, not wanting to face his friend directly, and kept his candle stick hand on his head. "The pretty petalled thing that keeps master alive."

"Oh, that rose!" Jason exclaimed with a wide picked up a ruler to act as his pointing stick as the table from the West Wing that held the rose stepped over. It was a bit difficult to see the exact status of the rose, but enough of it was seen to know that it was wilting and clearly, time was running out. The color was even fading from its bright shade of pink to almost a red shade. "Now then," Jason said as he pointed at the rose with the ruler, "clearly we don't have a lot of time left. Because if the last petal falls then the spell is never gonna be broken!" He accidentally ended up hitting the rose's container so much that it almost fell off the table; lucky the table moved out of the way just before it could touch the edge, leaving everyone relieved that the rose was still in one piece, and Jason not only lost his grip on the ruler which ended up going across the hallway but also hell off the stairs and flat on his face. Zeke came down to the floor to check on his friend; Jason then lifted his head slightly. "Is this the part where we get assignments?"

"Give them their assignments." Zeke sighed, knowing how much Jason wanted to do it. He helped Jason up, but the clock was so dizzy that as he spoke he ended up pointing in nearly the same directions as he spun around.

"Alrighty then peoples, let's get started. Half of you to Westy Wing, half to Easty Beasty Wing, and the rest wit me."

Donny raised an eyebrow at Jason's scattered brain. "What's he talkin bout?"

"Half of us go to the West Wing and half of us go to the East Wing." Zeke translated.

With that said, every single enchanted object in the hallway was on their way, leaving Jason to fall back on the floor. Jason got up and rubbed his head. "Hey...what about everyone else coming with me?" he moaned.

Zeke, Gabriella, and Tiara did return over to Jason and Zeke helped him up. "Sorry Jason, but you know they just want this to work out. The master will be in the West Wing preparing. You know how many of us in here are experts with making him look his best. The coat rack is going to draw his bath and everything. He'll be like a new man! Well...sort of."

"And Martha's probably already sent Taylor to go to the East Wing so she can get ready there." Gabriella added. "It's best that the two of them not see each other until dinner. They need to be surprised by each other."

"Yes, why don't we just do what we need to do and let them take it from there?" Zeke suggested. Then he rubbed his head. "Hey...where did those crazy kids go anyway?"

---

"And there never was a story of more woe than this of Juliette and Romeo." Taylor finished before closing the book and holding it close to her.

Of course, they just had to be in the library where all the books were. Taylor had probably read it out loud twice already, at least. After all, who really didn't enjoy a good Shakespearean play? come on, it was a classic. And she hadn't read the book in ages. The Beast, however, was a different story. He had always hated stories like that. He always hated tragic, sappy, romantic...old books. But this time, he was actually really into the story. He didn't hate it at all. As a matter of fact, he was actually loving it. The Beast was just resting his head on the table listening to Taylor's voice carry the story along. There was something so hypnotic about her voice. She just made him really get into the story and want to read it. Why he almost seemed...relaxed by it. He picked up his head slightly and looked at her hopefully.

"Do you think, by any chance, you could...maybe read it again?"

"As much as I love reading to a three hundred pound beast..." Taylor teased.

"Not over three hundred. Just.... Just been eating a lot." the Beast replied glancing away. He was not that heavy...was he?

Taylor giggled and held the book out to him. "Here, how about you read it to me this time?"

"Oh...um, sure. Ok." the Beast said, reluctantly taking the small book in his big paws. Wait, why did he just agree to read an old play that he used to hate? This was going to be harder than he thought. Alright, alright, no need to panic. He could do this. Trying to hold the book without his claws digging into it, the Beast turned to the first page. He held the book close up, then far away, then close up again. No, he didn't have trouble seeing. He had a whole different issue. "Um...erm.." Now what was that letter with the straight line and the straight line over it? And the letter next to it that looked like a fat circle? And why was the print even so small to read?

Taylor raised an eyebrow as she watched him. It almost seemed like the Beast was hesitant to read. "Is everything alright?" she wondered.

so much for keeping it cool. Can't say he didn't try to hide it. Ok, he did try, but he failed miserably. "I can't read." the Beast sighed, closing the book and pushing it to the side of the table.

Taylor tilted her head. She could never have imagined someone around her own age didn't know how to read. There could be so many reasons. A learning disability, never learned, bad vision.... She decided to go with the obvious answer. "So you never learned how to read?"

"Well I did." he admitted turning to face her. "It's just been ages. I can't remember the last time I read." And why wouldn't he not want to mention it?Here was a girl who was some sort of reading genius and did it every day of her life, and the Beast was just too lazy to even try in three years. Or was it more? Well at least she didn't need to bring math into it - then they'd have a real problem.

"Oh..." Taylor said, at a loss for words at the moment. "Well it's never too late to learn. Again. I can help."

"You could?" the Beast's face lit up.

"Of course. It's easy." she promised. She took the book and turned to the first page. She rested it faced open on the table and turned it to the Beast so he could read right-side up. "Start here." she instructed pointing to the first line.

The Beast moved his head in a little closer to try and see. "What's that first letter?"

"It's called a T." she giggled.

"Right, right." he said quickly. That's what her name started with. He should have figured that out. "And...the letter next to it?"

"That's an O." she replied.

"So then the word is...to?" he asked, pronouncing it as 'toe'.

Taylor couldn't help but giggle again. "'To'." she corrected.

"I knew that." he replied quickly again. Boy he had a lot to learn!

---

"Oh well, we'll deal with finding them later." Zeke decided, answering his own question.

"And it will be all the more better if they're spending the day together while we start preparing everything for them." Gabriella said. "It's obvious there's a spark between them. It's only going to grow the more time they spend together."

"But I thought we were planning this whole big fancy dinner tonight so they could spend time together." Jason said. "It's supposed to be the only way for the spell to be broken."

"Well I suppose we never said it didn't hurt to lend a helping hand." Zeke replied. "And if we do good then we will be rewarded. When the master becomes human again, we will as well!"

"Ah, human again." Gabriella sighed contently.

"Human again." Tiara repeated.

"Think of what it means." Zeke added. "I can help Jack cook in the kitchen again. I can't even remember the last time I helped him make his famous steaks. I was the sauce specialty...person...in there. And the vegetable chopping, very nice. But I most miss baking cookies and brownies as treats for the master and ourselves. They were one of the few things that just kept him frowning instead of frowning and scowling. I can actually use my fingers again. It's impossible to give anyone a thumbs up with these excuses for hands. And I'll be chic and sporting again."

"While of course not everyone will see you as, and we'll be walking in on you posing in front of a mirror again." Gabriella giggled.

Martha danced by them in the hall, most likely either heading to the East Wing or just passing by ans overhearing them. "I'll have my own two feet to dance properly with again. And it'll be nice to be a little smaller around the sides. We can actually dress up and go to the parties we used to. We can have a girl's day in and have our own spa day."

"with make-up and dressing up for no reason at all." Gabriella loved the idea.

"And we'll have our own hair again." Martha added.

"Oh I do miss doing my own hair." Gabriella admitted. "But Donny never let me touch his. It was so much easier to take care of."

"And maybe when we're human again our heads won't feel so close to our bodies. I never feel like I have a neck on here." Jason said trying to feel for a neck area between his head and shoulders.

"Well at least you have an actual body." Gabriella stated. "I have to jump everywhere I go."

"As do I, but it's a small price to pay for having some kind of arms." Zeke chuckled.

"Why do the girls around here have no more arms?" Tiara sighed. "It's impossible to reach anything without help."

"Maybe you guys don't have arms, but these doors on me do work as good substitutes." Martha stated, opening her closet doors and closing them again to emphasize her point.

"We can actually do our real chores around here!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Eh, not so much." Jason and Zeke said in unison.

"Well if we're getting dinner ready, why don't we make the castle look a lot more suitable for such an occasion?" Gabriella suggested.

"I'll go get the mops and brooms and the other feather dusters! We'll be right on making the floors and windows clean and spotless!" Tiara exclaimed heading out of the hallway.

"Don't forget a lot of the shelves too, and if you could help polish some stuff that would be great!" Gabriella called.

"Don't tell me what to do." Tiara replied.

"Polish help, Mademoiselle Tiara?" Zeke called.

"But of course!" tiara replied.

Zeke chuckled. "See there Gabs? You just gotta know how to work the charm. It'll be so much easier in human form."

"Yeah, all the girls will still laugh at you." Jason chuckled as the four of them left the hallway and departed ways to clean the castle.

"Gabby are we really gonna be human again?" Donny asked hopefully as he met up with his sister to help brighten up the kitchen.

"Of course we are. My friend's the key to breaking the spell. i know she can do it." Gabriella said.

"Wait, the spell is going to be broken tonight?" Jack gasped as he tried to get a fire in himself going. Yes, a small price he had to pay for being a stove.

"Yeah! Taylor's gonna marry the master!" Donny exclaimed.

Gabriella giggled. "Let's not get too carried away. They have to fall in love first."

"Ew, gross!" Donny gasped.

"Give it a couple of years. You'll be hitting on those girls in no time." Jack said. He moved in closer so he could whisper to the tea cup, "And I know exactly what makes them tick."

Gabriella overheard and went onto the shelf, almost right in Jack's ear. "And what makes us girls tick?"

Jack immediately stepped back. Yeah...it probably was not a good idea to give a talk like that to a growing boy when there was actually a girl around. "Sensitivity?" he asked hopefully.

"Much better." Gabriella nodded in approval as she got back to work.

"Let's get some light in here!" Tiara called to the other feather dusters as they went into the main dining room where the brooms and mops were cleaning and trying to keep a filthy Boi out of there. "Open up these curtains. We want them to have a nice view of the garden." When Tiara looked out the window over to the garden, there was still snow around and the yard was completely deserted. "Hey! Someone should put that garden back together!"

"Right on it!" Zeke called as he ran out with some other servants to help out. They got some flowers from the pots inside and started planting them in the wet soil after the shovels cleared away the remaining he planted the flowers, the remainder of the snow in the yard was very much in the process of being soon as the shovels were done with all their work, Boi was automatically running through the dirt and making a mess or everything. It was surprising he didn't destroy the freshly planted flowers. Jason was trying to help trim the hedges and make them in the shapes of anything he could come up with...even if they were semi demented animals...and then tried to direct where the remaining gardening tools should go. Of course that didn't work out too well because one of the wheelbarrows just ended up running him over. He groaned and got up rubbing his head, only to see Zeke starting to plant some seeds around.

"Grass planting time?" Jason asked going over to him.

"But of course not. I think we're going to need a nice vegetable garden. After we're human again I'll be able to make my special pie." Zeke replied. "The grass will grow just fine on its own. Now let's see about turning the fountain on and getting some nice water going on around here."

"Don't get your hopes up Zeke. I think the pipeline's gonna be stuck." Jason said.

"Here let me give it a go." Zeke said. He walked over to the pipeline and turned the handle pretty easily. The small water fountain in the yard was letting out water in no time, like one of those fancy fountains in shopping centers where fish swim and people throw coins in to make wishes. "See Jay? I told you it'd work. Now come on, we have to check on the master for his special dinner. It's almost sundown so dinner will be soon."

"Good, I'm starving." Jason said.

"Not for you, for them." Zeke nudged him. "Let's go see how everyone is doing inside before we get back to business."

"Alright, but I think we have the right to eavesdrop on them tonight." Jason replied.

"All in their best interest, of course." Zeke said innocently.

Jason was about to speak up again when they heard a loud barking. Jason and Zeke faced each other, both standing in front of the water fountain. Then they slowly turned their heads and across the yard they could see Boi riding in a wheelbarrow like a Sunday driver. They watched wide-eyed as the wheelbarrow slowly started to turn and head right towards them. The boys' mouths dropped wide open as Boi wagged his tail and barked happily.

"No, Boi! NO!" they exclaimed before the footstool dog and wheelbarrow hit them dead on, causing all of them to fall into the fountain with a big splash.

* * *

**http :// img 197. image shack .us /img197 /9972/ character 5. jpg**- Now we have Boi. I think his frunt end came out well. He was slightly hard to do because...well if it probably weren't for his tiny tail and paws, not to mention the description in the story it'd probably be hard to tell he was a dog. XD But I love Boi/Manly. He's one of my favorites. ^^ Anyway, like I said this chapter was sort of based off the deleted scene. I was trying to incorporate parts of the scene into the chapter but overall I just wanted to give it a fun feeling to it. It's not going to be too long before everything gets all serious or turned around so it seemed like the best idea to liven things up a bit. And yes, i had to end it off on a funny note. I quite enjoy that. XD In the deleted scene it's actually the wardrobe that jumps into the pool but Boi doesn't really get a lot of camera time or anything does he? So voila, we have the happy, active puppy do something funny and...well, something you'd expect from a puppy i guess. Yeah, not so big on thinking right now since it's past 12:30 am. I started this chapter earlier, then some family came over so I had to stop for a bit, and then I was trying to remember where I left off and what I wanted to do next. Anyway that's probably not important anymore. You all know what scene is up next, but I'm not sure when it'll be up yet because I really want to make sure it turns out well. It's like one of the most famous scenes, last I checked. So that should wrap it up here, and for those of you so into the story I'm glad you're enjoying it. and I must say I'm very happy because I think this is my first story to be on the verge of 100 reviews! ^^ Yeah, just thought that was a good thing there. And don't forget, poll up on my profile asking what story I should start next when this one is finished. Keep in touch everyone, and happy reading to all!


	16. Chapter 15

I think I have everything planned out now. I made outlines of what each chapter should be, though it is subject to change. Now since I want to get this story done before school starts, which for me should be on August 31, and take out time to see some of my friends and all before they go back to school, I'm estimating that it gives me two weeks. So if I outlined everything right there should be between 23 and 25 chapters ll together. Or would the most be 26 cause of the prologue? Oh well I'm not completely counting. XD So this is going to be the highly anticipated scene. Yes, the one that probably everyone has been waiting for. Now for some reason the reviews I got are not appearing and for some reason I'm not allowed to reply to the reviews either. So a little thing up here which I will put a slightly reminder to down in the bottom a/n, I'm not going to post replies to everyone's reviews here cause I highly doubt they'd all be read. So I'm going to PM my responses to everyone. So thank you for the reviews I got for last chapter that I'm not allowed to reply to: ActingPrincess, Anothersmallperson, Rockyshadow, and Chaylorxtraylorlover101. And also, thank you to everyone who has reviewed the story so far: Corbinsbabygrl1, Rockyshadow, Fcknamazing (I took out the period in that name because I just realized that in all of the other chapters I put that in, the name didn't show up!), Chaylorxtraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, Digigirl02, RamandusDaughter23, MermaidRam85, xXMXx, Ryle, HSM, Coornique chaylor girl, Mzwendy85, Seabreezylady18, Anothersmall person, HSM3, Creativelyyourz, Xoxotroyellaluverxox, and vaanarsRule. Thank you all for reading! Stay tuned for more Disney action!  
Disclaimer: I do not own either movie, any characters, the song, etc etc.

* * *

Night was upon the castle and the Beast was deep in preparation for the, supposed what one could call a 'date'. Now in a situation like this, the male would probably be doing a number of things: checking his appearance, practicing what he was going to say, freaking out, making sure he had everything, trying to get his mother to stop bothering him about getting there late, forgetting to put pants on.... Well to make a long point short, the Beast wasn't doing any of that. He was in the bathtub. Foams of bubbles surrounded his entire lower body, though with the coat hanger being the expert stylist it was it was checking over every part of the Beast to make sure he was in perfect condition. The Beast's fur was soaking wet, he was being scrubbed, and he was getting soap and bubbles in more areas than just his lower half. It was surprising he hadn't gotten any in his eyes yet...hey why was the coat hook scrubbing him so hard? Ugh, he was probably going to get a concussion if the hook scrubbed his head any harder. That brush was more painful than it looked. And what...slightly grown to almost grown person figure still took a bath anyway? Especially just before a fancy dinner? It was just downright degrading. The Beast groaned, which was followed by a moan as the hanger nearly pulled on his hair...fur rather...just taking the brush away from him.

with a stool near the bathtub, Zeke happily hopped onto it as he entered the West Wing to check on the master. He looked so excited. And it wasn't just that this could be their chance to be human again. The night itself was supposed to be just plain wonderful. As a matter of fact, the entire castle staff was thrilled just to be helping prepare for this night, for the moment that was sure to happen. Jack and Gabriella were in the kitchen working on preparing the food and getting everything set up on the table from plates to napkins to a candlelit centerpiece. Jason was practically going back and forth between everything and everyone to see how the preparation was going. Tiara was looking everything over where it needed to be and was making sure the entire dining area was spotless. Martha was in the East Wing helping Taylor get ready and picking out the perfect outfit. And here was Zeke, making sure his master was in perfect condition.

"Tonight is the night!" Zeke exclaimed upon facing the Beast. "How are you feeling?"

At that instant, the coat rack picked up a bucket of water and poured it all over the Beast to wash the soap and such off of him. The now loosely curled fur nearly looked flat and straight after that big splash, and the fur on his head fell over his eyes. "Wet." he muttered as-a-matter-of-factly, moving said fur out of his eyes.

"Excellent!" Zeke exclaimed. Wait a minute, wet wasn't good. Perhaps he finally let the excitement get the better of him. "Well, master...you will dry off."

The Beast shook his head, mostly in an attempt to try and dry off at least that much of him before he got attacked with more water. "I don't think I can do this. Maybe it's too soon...."

"But we don't have any time to waste! We can't put it off any longer!" Zeke gasped. He pointed towards the cased rose, which was still in the wilting process. At this point about a fourth of it, maybe less, was left on the stem. And it was only going to continue faster from this point; the remaining petals most likely couldn't hold out much longer. "You can do this master!" Zeke encouraged, turning back to the wet, hairy Beast. "You must be bold. And daring!"

"Right, right..." the Beast nodded trying to get himself to believe he could be those things. "Bold." He sat up a little straighter in the tub. "Daring." Then got got on all fours and completely shook his body dry - for the most part anyway - and now had his slightly curly turned fur sticking up like a Mohawk on his back and on his stomach. Pretty much all over, actually.

Zeke's eyes snapped shut, not so he couldn't see the Beast walk out of the tub and over to a full-length mirror as the coat hanger dried him off, but because he had been splashed very much by the Beast. He was soaking wet and the fire on his candles were out. He shook his arms to try and dry them off a little before opening his eyes again, trying to ignore the stinging in them. "There will be music," he started as he lit two of his three candles, "and romantic candle light," he blew on his third candle so it lit up again, then polished himself proudly, "provided by yours truly of course." More so then candle light than the music. But Zeke liked to think that he had made a decent contribution to the music. Who else would have thought to have a violin played or to possibly have Gabriella singing in the background? Well it could happen. Zeke followed the Beast over to the mirror as the coat rack wrapped the towel around the mostly dry furry body and began coming to try and find the perfect hair style for the master. "And when the time is right," Zeke finished as he jumped onto a nearby chair, "you will confess your love to her!"

The Beast raised an eyebrow, looking at himself in the mirror while his personal hair stylist went to pick up another comb and some scissors. "Right. I con...I confe...I confess..." he tried saying it to himself to try and believe it. Come on, he wasn't a coward. He could totally do this. If the Beast could bring himself to say it then surely he will have a much better chance of mounting to it. "I con..." Well so much for that idea. "No, no I can't." he shook his head and hung it low.

"But you care for the girl, don't you?" Zeke asked with concern. And surely even he could predict the Beast's answer.

The master flinched momentarily as the snipping and the brushing began. "More than anything..." he managed to say as he stood up straight.

"Well then you have to tell her." Zeke said simply. He watched the cutting continued until the coat hanger stopped and examined its work. Zeke smiled widely, not even seeing the Beast's reaction - or his look. But Zeke was sure it looked nothing less of marvelous. And it had to, of course. "Voila!" he exclaimed. "Oh master you look so..." he opened his eyes and finally took in his master's appearance. His fur was dry now so it was back to tight and curly but around the bearded area, all the fur was done in braids and came together at the very end with a tight bow. Even larger braids were all around at the bottom of his face area, the bangs on his head were completely straight and in front of his eyes, and to top it off the fur on top of his head was tied into a high pony tail courtesy of a big fat bow. "So..." Zeke could not just find the right words to describe the circus-esque appearance.

"Stupid." the Beast finished, obviously completely hating it.

"Well...that word works too." Zeke said sheepishly. He couldn't even begin to start with what words was coming to his mind. He rubbed his head and looked at the master uneasily. "I'm sure we can fix it. Maybe we could...take a little more off the top?"

The coat rack thought it over for a minute before cutting the high ponytail off with the big bow, before moving in to start snipping and such again.

"See master?" Zeke asked. "The healing process is working!"

"It's bad fur issue, not some food addicted issue." the Beast muttered.

"Well it can still be fixed." Zeke said. "Come now, put a happy face on! Where's that smile master? After we finish your hair you can put on that wonderful outfit." He gasped and covered his mouth. "Oh mon Dieu! I am starting to sound like one of the girls!"

The coat rack stopped with the Beast's hair only for a moment to let out its silent giggles. Yes, one of the numerous enchanted objects in the castle that never spoke.

But Zeke saw from the corner of his eye that reaction. "Alright, can we get back to work?" he sighed, causing the coat hanger to continue fixing the Beast's fur at once.

A loud throat clearing was heard and Jason entered the room ever so innocently. He'd been doing that once every ten minutes, but from the sound of his throat it sounded like he was here for a reason reason this time. He smiled widely and gestured towards the door, his other arm behind his back. "Your lady awaits."

---

Martha watched from behind the doors leading towards the East Wing as Taylor descended down that half of the staircase. It was back in the main hallway; said staircase was in the center and went up a bit towards a window, then departed in two separate directions, most likely where each of the two was coming from. She stopped at the foot of the split staircase, knowing not to walk down the remaining steps until the Beast was by her side.

From the other end of the staircase the Beast faintly saw Taylor step down. Zeke was on the banister beside him, urging the Beast to move down. The Beast looked at his candelabra wing-man before clearing his throat and attempting to straighten his jacket. He steps down slowly and almost dignified, stopping just in front of Taylor. He couldn't help but smile - no not one of the awkward smiles that Zeke and Gabriella had urged him to smile way back when - a really nice smile as he took in her beauty. He hair was the same length and only had a headband in it as usual but even then it still looked so nice. Her ballgown highlighted her figure perfectly; from the neck area to the shoulders to just above the chest area was pure white which not only reflected nicely off her skin tone, but additionally looked like it fit her loosely yet perfectly. From there down to her waist was the purple - perhaps eggplant - shade of her dress and meeting up with the very voluming part of the ballgown; it reached down to her feet so they were practically covered and the entire area and had a very faint purple and white pattern across it.

Taylor's smile didn't look any less brighter than the Beast's did. She took in every bit of his appearance and he looked quite nice himself. His white jacket with a black outline really stood out with his fur color, and above the black shirt around him was a fancy looking poofy tie. His white pants which matched the same shade as his jacket went down to about his ankles, as opposed to the ripped pants he often wore which just stopped wherever on his legs. Though no shoes of any sort accompanies his hind legs ,he still seemed to be standing perfectly upright on them and having the simplest time walking. Finally, a bit of tightly curled fur which would most likely resemble a part of his hair was tied back behind him with a tiny bow.

_"Tale as old as time"_

As the two took their bow and curtsy to each other neither of them noticed that not too far away from the steps on one of the carts Gabriella and Donny were watching them, Gabriella adding a faint yet very distinctly tune to what would be their date. Donny watched the two in awe as Gabriella just looked at them sweetly yet expectantly, knowing what a night this was going to be.

_"True as it can be"_

The Beast offered his arm to Taylor and she laced her hand through it, lifting her gown with her free hand slightly not to trip over it as she walked. The Beast led her down the steps, only to nearly be caught off guard by a very hyper Boi running around the stairs. Luckily, and even he didn't know how, but the Beast had anticipated it. In a case like that, what most likely would have happened was either he would have tripped on Boi or Boi would end up jumping on the master and showing his affection like all little dogs did to their human friends. But the Beast had only stopped short a step or so ahead of Taylor and let Boi run on by, barking and wagging his tail. Once the stairway was clear, he finished leading her down the staircase and through the hallway towards the dining room.

_"Barely even friends_

_Then somebody bends_

_Unexpectedly"_

The pair sat at the long dining table, each at the opposite ends. Taylor was quietly sipping her soup while Zeke watched the Beast ever so closely on his end. At long last, the guy was using the spoon! Sort of, at least. He was holding it with two of his fingers carefully and using his other hand to push his tie in so nothing would spill on it. After all he didn't want to look like a pig again. Zeke bit his tongue as he watched the master purse his lips and stick his mouth out just enough to reach the spoon and quietly slurp the soup. On the bright side, it was most definitely better than the last time he tried to use the spoon. But let's just say now's nowhere near the time to go into details of that.

_"Just a little change"_

With the violin as the instrument of choice, the coat rack stepped over and began playing it for the two. Entranced by the music, Taylor moved herself out of her chair and went across the table towards the Beast. He looked at her hesitantly and she held out her hands to take his...paws. To take his paws. Not hands, paws. The Beast accepted, though moving slowly out of his chair. Even as Taylor led him away from the table she didn't look too sure of herself either. But something was telling her that they weren't going to get anywhere merely by eating dinner. The wonderful music was not about to be wasted. And something about going where they were, it just felt right.

_"Small to say the least_

_Both a little scared_

_Neither one prepared_

_Beauty and the Beast."_

The two entered the very clean, very beautiful, very spacious...fine, a lot of adjectives described using the word 'very'... ballroom. Numerous windows covered the walls and in between each windows were strong yet carefully placed pillars, including by the entrance to the room, which only seemed to add to its elegance. The floor was clean enough, courtesy of all the servants' hard work, to see reflections in it. It was perfectly smooth, perhaps something related to that of marble, so nearly anything that could make a sound against the smooth surface could be heard somehow. The entire room was circular shaped, and hanging right in the middle of the ballroom was a glamorous sparkling chandelier which provided much light via candles, though there was bound to be assistance from Zeke and at least one other candelabra.

_"Ever just the same"_

In the middle of the ballroom, Taylor and the Beast faced each other. Both appeared a tad on the nervous side, but Taylor seemed to be ready to make the first move. It could be an adjustment thing or it could be because that's who she was. But in this new environment, the new situation, it was near impossible to tell. She started by holding hers and the Beast's arms out straight and placing her hand in his paw. The Beast gulped when Taylor wasn't looking. They weren't about to dance, were they? He hadn't danced in ages. Who was he kidding, the last time he read was long after the last time he danced; it was easier to learn to read again than it probably would be to dance again. But Taylor didn't seem to notice. Or mind, for that matter. She placed his other paw around her waist; comparing the two sizes, his paw could fit around her waist and hold it just perfectly. Taylor looked up at the Beast and, though he wouldn't meet her gaze at first, she still knew exactly what to do. She took the lead and started the dance with the Beast following her step for step, even if he didn't realize it.

_"Ever a surprise"_

Zeke and Jason were of course in the room and they exchanged grins. Zeke chuckled faintly and nudged Jason. Normally this would be the point where Jason would say something stupid and/or funny, or just be completely lost; but he _knew_ exactly what was going on and there was no way he was going to speak. This wasn't going to turn into some blooper scene. The boys looked back over to Taylor and the Beast. They began dancing the waltz and Taylor rested her hand on the Beast;s arm. He was watching every move carefully, not saying a word. Neither of them even needed to speak. They were just swaying together enjoying the music. And what made it even more enjoyable was that the Beast's lit up face was sheer proof that he was remembering how to dance. He knew exactly what to do. Hey, he was remembering!

_"Ever as before_

_Ever just as sure_

_As the sun will rise"_

The Beast signaled that he was ready to take the lead as he twirled Taylor under his arm and they continued dancing around. Taylor felt her head tilt back just slightly, and she looked up at the ceiling. The dome shape was perfect, not to mention highlighted by the painting on it. The clouds were circular and full, and though she couldn't exactly see them, hiding in those clouds were mini cupids. If they were ever painted up by anyone up there for any reason before, this was the perfect reason for them to be there.

_"Tale as old as time"_

The dancing continued and the Beast was now in full lead. He had now mastered nearly every step of the waltz nearly perfectly. What could he say, he remembered things so much better with Taylor around. That was the reason he got through a whole five pages of that book in thirty minutes. Ok, maybe it was a little longer than that but he wasn't paying attention. Right now he was completely focused on their movements and moving to the faint sound of the music. They circled around the ballroom repeating the same steps for just a while, also being the main stance for the waltz.

_"Tune as old as song_

_Bittersweet and strange_

_Finding you can change_

_Learning you were wrong"_

After focusing so much on the dancing itself and the space around them, they were finally able to let go of all that attention and not only look at each other, but meet each other in the eyes.

_"Certain as the sun"_

For the first time since they probably met, neither of them could take their eyes off each other - or at least away from each others. Their movement was slowing and Taylor felt her eyes getting slightly heavy. Whether she wasn't even thinking anything of it or it was just an involuntary reaction, she rested her head on the Beast's shoulder. Well, sort of. It was more near his chest, but with their height difference it was a little hard for her head to reach his shoulder while they were standing up. It was more closer to just under the shoulder area, just a bit off from there. Well wherever her head was, it was nice and cuddled up to the Beast. The Beast continued moving, but his head nearly jerked back in surprised and luckily the rest of his body didn't jerk back either. . He was processing in his head what was happening, resulting in a confused look on his face. When he finally realized what was going on his whole expression just lit up. He smiled widely and looked up, actually seeing Jason and Zeke. The clock and candelabra were silently cheering; Jason was waving his arms in the air like it was some kind of slow music type concert and Zeke was just trying his best to imitate a thumbs up. The Beast didn't even care that the two of them were there, or that Gabriella and Donny were still watching from the doorway on the cart. Gabriella had a soft smile as she watched, not one stopping the song that was evidently filling the background. Donny, on the other hand, had a mixed look of joy and disgust. The sight and all was sweet and he knew all this was a good thing, but he was still growing up and hadn't really reached the 'I'm all over the girls' stage. The Beast didn't even care who was watching, as long as absolutely nothing disrupted this moment. It was working! He had finally won her over!

Gabriella's voice became more vibrant just watching not only the sight, but the absolute delight on the master's face.

_"Rising in the east_

_Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast"_

The lights on the chandelier dimmed and Zeke turned down the lights on his candles as well. Going to the other candelabra in the room which was providing a bit of an extra source of light, he shushed it quietly and the flames on its waxy candles died down as well, making the ballroom near dark as Taylor and the Beast departed to finish their dance, waltzing around the room one last time.

_"Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme"_

Spinning Taylor one final time under his arm before slipping it in her arm again, the Beast then led her out of the ballroom and through the doors leading to the balcony attached to it outside. Gabriella and Donny were now the only ones remaining watching the sight. Donny's eyelids were drooping now, which was either from the music or just plain natural boredom he felt from it all. Gabriella's voice softened as the last bit of music faded.

_"Beauty and the Beast."_

Gabriella turned to her brother with a smile and saw him yawning. Of course, she should have expected as much. But still, he just looked so cute. Look at Donny, thinking he could handle this mushy stuff and staying up past his bedtime. "You'd better get back to the cupboard, Donny. You should have been in bed hours ago." she told him softly.

And even through his tiredness Donny put up the same slight argument he always did, though much more quietly this time. "But I'm not sleepy."

"Yes you are." Gabriella giggled.

"No I'm not." he shook his head.

Gabriella rolled her eyes but didn't once take the smile off her face. She just gave him a peck on the cheek, which had Donny nearly jump back and wake up completely. Of course, most brothers hated it when their sisters - in most cases, they'd both seen, older sisters - do that. Donny even stuck his tongue out for emphasis. "Good night, bro."

Well he knew he wanted to avoid getting another kiss from Gabriella. Donny hopped down from the cart and made his way out of the ballroom and back to the kitchen. But before he left what he couldn't help but do was just glance back into the ballroom and through the windows or glass doors as the Beast and Taylor walked outside hand in hand and rested by the edge of the balcony under the starry night sky.

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**http :// img44. imageshack .us/ img44 /7650/ character 7. jpg**- I'm pretty much putting the spaces in all the same places now. lol Ok so I have drawn Martha and Tiara but I think Martha came out better which is why she is up first...and because she seems to have less time in the movie than Tiara. XD And yes the picture is on the small side again so feel free to copy, paste, and make the picture bigger on a Word document or such for better viewing. Now Martha's hair is a bit on the curly side so I kept the top part true to that but not towards the bottom half of her hair area cause then she'd look too much like the Wardrobe. I was trying to add on her facial features and making the handles on her drawer doors more curvy than the actual picture. So I guess now you know Tiara's going to be at the end of the next chapter. lol Anyway as for this one, I can't tell you how many times I listened to the song to try and picture the whole scene. I couldn't degrade Beauty and the Beast in the least but it also had to be very Chad and Taylor, hence their outfit designs for the most part. And I guess the waltz dance since they do that in HSM3. XDDD Now I know this chapter should have probably been longer or I could have put in here what happens directly after the song but...I just couldn't, ok? As not big on mushy scenes as I can probably be a lot of the time I just couldn't ruin this perfectly happy song or scene and have it go to...well what happens next. I mean I know you guys who saw the movie know what happens next but I'm still not giving anything away. Ok, so now for those of you who did not answer (to be precise, I have a total of three or four and a half answers) the questions I will type them again and while it's not required that you answer, I would very much like to hear your opinions and it would be helpful to parts of the story.  
**1.**Should Sharpay end up with Zeke or Troy in the end?  
**2. **At the end of the Beauty and the Beast movie, there are the credits accompanied by the remake of the song "Beauty and the Beast", so should I do that, a kind of typed music video-esque chapter with the song at the end, or combine the credits and the music video with the song?  
And as a minor reminder, for some reason I still cannot reply to the reviews that I know I got, and they're not showing up either. I got the emails saying what the reviews were and who they were from, but somehow they're not appearing on the page of reviews and I can't reply to them. Not sure if any of you guys who do the same thing are having a problem with it or not. So if you guys see a PM from me, expect that to be a response to your review. Because really, when you guys leave your comments about my stories I just can't leave them hanging, I don't just read them over and over again in flattery or anything, I just can't see them go unanswered. And I most likely blabbed more than enough down here so I'll just be off to bed then. Peace out!


	17. Chapter 16

Boo-yeah, exactly 100 reviews! I'm sorry, I just thought that was a really good thing which most likely means it's my best story yet. XD Judging from the reviews I'd say that everyone enjoyed the last chapter. That's good, cause it's exactly what I was going for. i went one day without updating because...ok I don't have a good reason. Maybe it was just for the enjoyment of the dancing or something. xD Or I could be not thinking straight. That's besides the point. Now we are onto the next scene which is kind of a continuation of the last scene. So let us see what awaits! And of course thank you to the people who have reviewed the previous chapter: FcknAmazing, Corbinsbabygrl1, ActingPrincess, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Seabreezylady18, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, and Rockyshadow. C=  
Disclaimer: Ok you guys already know what goes here.

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The view from the balcony was quite lovely. The enchanted objects had done such a wonderful job of making the yard so presentable. Even in the dark of the night it was easy to tell how much nicer it looked. But of course that wasn't all that looked nice this evening. The dinner had been delicious and looked nothing less of pure gourmet, the dance had been lovely.... Now the Beast and Taylor were walking across the balcony and over to the banister of it. It wasn't too high so they could just lean on it and take in the view; it was just low enough for them to sit on and make themselves comfortable. Around the banister were a few pots of perfectly trimmed branches with tiny flowers on them. If anything they only added to how nice everything looked. The Beast took Taylor over to it and helped her sit down. He looked away and rubbed the back of his head for a moment, attempting to figure out his next approach. In the meantime, Taylor slightly adjusted her gown so it lay nice against the banister as opposed to being wrinkled. But even as she looked away she had a smile on her face. She turned her head and glanced at the Beast only briefly taking in his nervousness. Able to suppress a giggle, she looked away once more and pretended to fix her gown a bit more. The Beast looked at her when she looked away and then he slowly but cautiously scooted over so he was sitting next to her instead of a foot or so away. He dragged his hind legs across the cemented ground and put his weight on his hands so he wouldn't make a sound as he moved in closer.

Finally, when he was right beside Taylor and she turned back to face him, the Beast took her hands in his paws. "Taylor..." he almost hesitated to ask, but now that he opened his mouth he couldn't exactly close it again. He wanted to make sure it came out just right. "Are you...happy here with me?"

Much to his surprise, the smile remained on Taylor's face as she answered him. "Yes. I am." she admitted.

The Beast smiled warmly. He would have never expected that. In what felt like so little time everything had been completely turned around. It just couldn't have gotten any better than this. Maybe Zeke was right. Maybe the Beast really could confess his love for Taylor then the spell would be broken. And then they could live happily ever after. His smile slowly faded as he turned back to Taylor, taking in notice of her looking out into the distance and all around as though she were looking for something.

"What's the matter?" he wondered.

Taylor slowly turned her head back to him. She didn't want to be a downer or anything, and she knew for sure it would ruin the amazing night they were having. And the last thing she wanted the Beast to think was that she didn't love it at the castle. She had grown to love it there, actually. Everyone was so welcoming and the Beast had become some one who she greatly enjoyed spending time with. But there was just still something troubling her. And Taylor was never one to keep things bottled up. Not like this. It was one thing trying to hide her emotions when she didn't want them seen, but this was a case in which she really needed to get what she was thinking off her chest. The castle was great and all, but there was just something missing.

Certain that the Beast would understand her, she decided to tell him. "I just wish that I could see my brother one more time. I really miss him."

Her brother? Oh right! Shoot, how could he be so heartless? That was the guy the Beast threw out of the castle and released in exchanged for Taylor's imprisonment. He recalled how they were in the dungeon just before he had made the agreement with Taylor. They looked so close. And then the Beast had to go and take it away so Taylor could never leave the castle, meaning she could never see her brother again. This was her family they were talking about. He should have known better than that. The Beast had told the carriage to take Troy back to the village when he threw him out, so that was probably where Troy was. But supposedly there was no guarantee. He looked back at Taylor and saw that thinking about it just made her depressed. He really didn't want to see her like that. He didn't want to cause depression for her. Not anymore. There had to be a way to put a smile on her face. He thought it over for a minute, trying to figure out what to do to help.

Then, a smile came across his face. "There is a way." he told Taylor, helping her off the banister.

Taylor picked her head up and looked at the Beast with a perplexed look. "How?"

"Follow me." he said gently.

The Beast led her off the balcony, back through the ballroom, and up the stairs towards the West Wing. Taylor didn't even pay attention to how much different the West Wing looked than her last visit. If anything was going on in her mind she was confused at how the Beast could help her find her brother. Taking note at where they ended up, Taylor stopped when the Beast let go of her hand. They were now in front of the table where the wilting rose was. But she didn't pay any attention to that either. She was watching as the Beast lifted up the mirror that had been resting face down on the table.

"It's an enchanted mirror." he explained. Of course, because everything in the castle was enchanted. "It'll show you anything you want to see. Anything at all. You just have to tell it what you want."

Taylor slowly took the mirror as he handed it to her. She highly doubted it could help, but what harm could it do? She looked at her reflection in it before saying what she wanted to see. "I'd like to see my brother Troy. Please?" she told it.

Within moments, Troy's picture did indeed appear in the mirror. But he wasn't where Taylor expected him to be. She thought he would be safe in the village. Maybe sleeping on one of the chairs or in his bed at home. Maybe even working on another one of his inventions. But he wasn't anywhere near the house. He wasn't even in the village. To say it chocked Taylor would be an understatement. Troy was wandering through the woods. No horse. No companion. Barely any protection. Not even a jacket. He was fighting through a very light blizzard, most likely in some part of the woods not too far from or nowhere near the castle. But it had to be someplace where it was snowing. Aside from the trees and dead plates of grass the entire land around him was baron. The trees' naked branches looked like they could fall off at any second. A few coughs escaped Troy; he then lost his balance and fell head first into a small pile of snow. He picked up his head and covered his mouth with more coughs. Taylor's eyes widened in horror at the sight. How could something like this happen to him?

"Oh no..." she gasped shaking her head. part of her was still in disbelief. That couldn't be Troy out there battling the wilderness and suffering as he was. It could have been someone else's brother. Anyone else's brother. But it wasn't; it was hers. She looked at the Beast and saw his concerned look. Taylor knew what she had to do. It was of the utmost importance that she went after Troy. She had to go and find him. As much as she was enjoying her time here at the castle she just couldn't lose her brother.

"Troy's out there." she explained. "He's out there by himself in the woods. He's sick. It could be the flu or pneumonia, maybe even worse."

The Beast took one look at Taylor's expression. He saw nothing but worry. She was practically giving him the puppy dog eyes that she had to do something about it. The Beast just couldn't stand to look at her. Not like that. And he didn't want her seeing his face either. He turned to look at the rose. It was wilting fast and barely had any life to it. It wouldn't be long before the last petal fell. The Beast didn't know how long. It could be as long as a few days or as short as a few hours. Not a few minutes, he had more time than that. But there was no way it could last much longer. It had blossomed for so long but then it began to wilt so quickly. It was out to destroy him, he knew it. But the Beast knew the consequences. He desperately wanted to be human again. And when he thought about it, it wouldn't just help him but also the entire castle. Everyone in it would be human again. All he had to do was confess his feelings and hope that they were returned. That was what tonight was all about. That's why everyone was so excited. And the Beast was letting them all down. He was letting himself down.

Then again, what good would it do to keep Taylor here? She would be worried sick about him. She wouldn't be happy. If it was only for a brief second when she told him that she was happy there, the Beast knew he saw her eyes light up. And to know that he made that happen was a good feeling. The best feeling he think he's ever felt in a long time to know he made someone happy. But that was all over now. There was no light in those eyes. Only clouds of doubt and concern. And it would only get worse if she stayed. The Beast stroked the rose's container and took a good look at the now red - no, maybe some kind of fuchsia - rose. The light was fading and so was its color. With every fallen petal the status of the plant grew worse. Their chances would only grow dimmer. But as selfish as the Beast used to be, that he knew he used to be, and as much as he knew that everyone needed this, he just couldn't go through with it. Some things were more important. It didn't matter if after this Taylor never saw him again. But for the sake of her brother and herself, the Beast knew what had to be done. No matter how much it hurt.

"Then you should go find him." the Beast finally spoke, doing everything he could not to sound hesitant.

Taylor raised an eyebrow, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "What did you say?"

"I'm letting you go." he replied, his back still turned to her. "you're not my prisoner anymore."

"I'm not?" she blinked. "So you mean...I can go? ...I'm free?"

The Beast had no clue why she spoke with a hesitance herself, but he wasn't about to question. "Yes. You can leave here. You go help your brother. Get him back to the village safely."

Taylor couldn't describe the gratitude she was feeling right now. "Thank you. Thank you so much." she told him.

"You're welcome." he replied simply.

"Not just for letting me go." Taylor shook her head, which caused the Beast to slowly turn back to face her. "For letting him go, for saving me, for not treating me like a prisoner...everything."

Thinking back on it all, she was right. Perhaps the Beast had been kinder than he ever anticipated himself to be. He had let Taylor stay in exchange to set Troy free. He had gone after her after she ran off and saved her from being the wolf's midnight snack and got hurt trying to protect her. He had not only let her stay in her own room but gave her rules to live by like anyone would in their household, he gave her what was his library for her own pleasure, he had shown her such a good time when they spent more time together, he gave her that lovely night they just had.... And now he was setting her free to save Troy.

Taylor turned to head out of the West Wing, still holding the mirror and watching her brother. "Hang in there a little longer, Troy. I'm coming." she promised. Then realizing she was still holding the mirror, she walked back in and brought it over to the Beast. After all it wasn't hers to take. She was done using it and she had at least a faint idea of where to find her brother. Standing in front of the Beast once more, she held it out to him.

The Beast shook his head and gently pushed the mirror back towards her. "You keep it."

"Why?" Taylor wondered, keeping her voice soft. It wasn't exactly easy for her to leave right now but she knew she had to. And it matched just the way the Beast was speaking, for whatever reason.

"It's so you'll always have a memory of this place. And so you can remember me." he answered only briefly stroking her hair, knowing he would never get another chance to feel it again.

Taylor looked at the mirror, then back at the Beast. She held it close to her, knowing that she'd always have to treasure it. "And thank you for understanding." she added, giving him a sympathetic look. But maybe, just maybe she could come back one day and they could see each other again. She saw the Beast's crestfallen look and briefly stroked his cheek just as he did with her hair. And it felt nice. It was nowhere as fierce as she remembered it from the first day. And she really hoped he knew that one day she would be back. Giving him one last look in the eyes, Taylor slowly turned on her heel and left the West Wing.

The Beast held in a sigh as he turned back to the rose. He leaned forward onto the table, his paws on the sturdy stand. He just couldn't stand to watch her leave. Despite what she may have thought, they wouldn't have another meeting.

"Well well well..." Jason chuckled as he walked into the West Wing only just after Taylor left.

Where did he even come from? Why did Jason pick now of all times to bother the master? Oh well, what did it matter? It was just Jason being his usual goofy self. The Beast didn't care if Jason walked in two minutes earlier than he had. It wouldn't change anything. As far as he was considered, as depressed - no, more than that...heartbroken - as the Beast was right now, Jason could waltz in whenever he desired and be as happy as he liked.

"It looks like everything was going perfectly." Jason continued as he walked in and over to his master. "I gotta say, sir, you really do have it in you. And Zeke said this didn't have a chance at working out." Which was so not true, by the way. "Oh I can only imagine what the next plan is on the list. Are you going to a more romantic like area for the big finale? Are you going to meet her in her room and help her pick an outfit out for the tomorrow so you two can celebrate? Oh I bet you're feeling so overjoyed and happy and la-dee-da-da and on cloud nine with a one way train ticket to happy town right now..."

"I let her go." the Beast sighed, only barely interrupting Jason and not even caring for all the things going on in the clock's head right now.

"Oh yes, how wonderful! Oh that's wonderful news. It makes me feel all smart and mushy inside." Jason cheered. "you have no idea how excited we all are...." In a split second, Jason stopped in mid-sentence and his face fell. His arms drooped and the hands on his clock face both suddenly dropped to face down towards the six, as well as his mouth dropping wide open. Wait a minute...something wasn't right here. The master didn't say what he thought he said, did he? Jason chuckled nervously and pointed up at the Beast. "That's funny, sir...for a second there I thought you said you let her go."

"I did." the Beast replied in the same quiet voice he'd been speaking in the whole time.

"But...but...but..." Jason stammered sounding like a broken record, "...how could you do that?"

"I had to." he answered simply."

"But...but...but..." Again with the broken Jason record. ".... But why?"

"Because..." No, the Beast wasn't sounding like a broken record. And he wasn't about to play a game with Jason where Jason would then ask, 'because why' and the Beast would reply with 'because, because' causing Jason to say 'because, because, why' which would lead to the Beast adding a third 'because' to his statement and Jason would repeat that following the word 'why' and so on and so forth until an answer was given. The Beast was nowhere in the mood for games right now, no matter how much it would lighten the mood. The Beast thought about all the reasons why he should have and did let Taylor go. It wasn't just because her brother was out there in such a dangerous place and was practically begging for help. It wasn't just because Taylor was worried for her brother's health and safety. and it wasn't just because the Beast understood why Taylor had to go.

And then he just thought about Taylor. He thought about how much closer they had gotten since she arrived, and especially since the wolf incident. If it weren't for that, maybe they wouldn't even be where they almost were tonight. He thought about the times he had shared with her during her imprisonment...no, her stay. She wasn't just a beautiful girl with brains. She was caring; Taylor was the one who helped healed the Beast's arm when he got hurt protecting her. She was respected; she knew when she owed someone and the Beast could see that, which was one of the reasons why he had gained so much respect for the girl. She was stubborn; Taylor was never one to agree so easily or change her opinions...hey, look at how long it took her to change her opinion of the Beast...but it was a quality that matched exactly what the Beast had. She was headstrong, gentle, light on her feet, and excellent reading teacher.... Thinking of all that, the Beast could only think of the one reason he had let her go. It wasn't because of anything else. Everything else was just one of the mere reasons to let Taylor go. But this was the reason that topped them off, and the real reason that he didn't keep her in the castle. the Beast wanted what was best for her, and he wanted her to be happy. When her brother was out there risking possible death there was no way even the Beast could make Taylor happy. There was only one reason she was set free.

"Because.... I love her."

---

"He did _WHAT_?"

Jason looked at Zeke, Gabriella, Tiara, and Donny with regret. His face was completely crestfallen. Well, not as much so as the Beast's, but still down. He then looked down and nodded, his hands behind his back. "Yesh." And when Jason spoke like that, it was bad. for once he wasn't completely clueless. Why did he pick now of all times to not be clueless and forget about trying to lighten the mood?

"You don't mean...?" Tiara gasped, in as just as much shock as the others.

"I'm afraid it's true." Jason nodded, lightly lifting one of his legs as though he were kicking something just from sorrow.

Donny shook his head and looked at Jason. "You mean she's going away?" he complained. "But I liked her."

"And we were so close, too." Zeke couldn't help but moan. "Did he say why he let her go?"

"Nope." Jason's head lowered more.

"And he was so close, too." Zeke had to moan again. Just a few more minutes and everything would have been perfect again.

Gabriella shook her head and her usually delightful, vivid expression was gone. "It took him so long. But after all this time, he's finally learned to love."

Zeke's face lit up at an instant. "That's it, then! Gabriella you're a genius!"

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella sighed.

"you said it yourself. The master has learned to love again. That should break the spell!" he exclaimed.

"But it's not enough." Gabriella replied.

"What do you mean?" Tiara asked, automatically taking Zeke's side. "Why shouldn't it be? Love is always enough."

"not this time. The spell won't be broken if only the master feels it. She has to love him in return." Gabriella explained.

"But it's too late now ishn't it?" Jason guessed.

"Please stop talking in that depressing tone." Zeke begged. "Now I'm getting depressed."

"But you were so happy a moment ago." Tiara stated. "Before a big teapot opened her big mouth."

"This is no time to argue." Zeke shook his head. "We can't let that get the better of us now. we have to try and be strong for the master's sake. Be as positive as we can. Even if it is too late."

Donny looked around at his friends. When none of them were paying attention, he slowly hopped over towards the doorway. They were letting the depression get the better of them already. Even Donny could see it. And he didn't want to join them in club misery. There had to be a way to fix everything. Things had to work out in the end. Donny wanted to know why this was happening and how it could be turned around. And really, he didn't want to be brought down by all of this either. Now hopefully no one would notice him sneak off....

"Donny where are you going?"

Donny turned to Gabriella. "Um...the bathroom." he lied. "I wanna put on some clothes."

"Oh. Alright. Have fun." Gabriella sighed.

Zeke blinked and looked at his friend. "You're letting him put on clothes? But they'll never fit on him. Teacups don't wear clothes!"

"We can't bring Donny down with all this. We have to stay positive for him, too. Not to mention all the other tea cups in here." Gabriella told him. "We have to let them believe that everything will be alright in the end. Let them dream about being human again."

"Well...I suppose you are right." Zeke admitted.

But Donny hadn't heard a single thing they said. He was already gone.

And moments later, he wasn't the only one who had disappeared. Taylor let herself on Jimmie and as soon as the gates were open, she raced out on the Shetland and into the woods. The Beast watched from the balcony on the West Wing as she rode off. His last chance at being human was gone. Even if everyone else in the castle wanted to believe it, he couldn't. He knew it wasn't true. And as much as the Beast had changed, he wasn't changed enough to sit around and cry. Mope maybe, but not cry. What he would have done weeks ago was make a mad rampage around the West Wing and knock down everything in sight. He'd claw at the walls and tear down the wallpaper. He'd yell and scream and just take his anger out on anyone and anything he could. But the Beast wasn't about to do any of those things. Not now. He didn't want to go back to being that way. He liked who he had started to become. It was a much better person...heck, he almost started to feel like a person. But that feeling he had was gone. He didn't feel like a person anymore. He didn't feel like there would ever be another chance of him being a human again. He didn't feel happy and warm inside. He didn't even feel like smiling. and even if by some miracle, if another girl happened to come into the castle and had a shot at breaking the spell it would never work in time. Not just because there wouldn't be enough time to try and convince another girl to love him or make that strong bond that the Beast had started to feel with Taylor. It would never work because if another girl ever did come in then the Beast would never love her. And so at a time like this, there was only one thing the Beast could think of to do.

He let out a loud and powerful roar. One that hadn't escaped him in what felt like so long. And that would probably be the last thing of him that Taylor would ever remember.

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**http :// img23. imageshack .us/ img23 /6612/ character 6a. jpg**- So that's Tiara. Not exactly my best work. I was trying to make her stick figure resemble her actual figure at least a little. I think all that really does resemble her is possibly her head shape and the top of her head, because there's a few bangs sticking out of her bonnet type thing and the string attached to it might look like another piece of her hair. Now about this chapter.... Ok fine, it was depressing. I get it. Sad, sad, sad, all sad. I was pausing at least once during every part of this I was writing because it was so sad. I know I'm gonna get a lot of comments based on the depression of this. I attempted to add some slightly humorous moments...which probably didn't help so much. The part with Jason first going in to talk to the Beast, that's where I was trying to liven it up just a little. And then the part where Donny said he wanted to put on some clothes that was sort of a faint reference to HSM3 when Chad and Troy stole Donny's and Jimmie's clothes and they ran all around the school until they got to the auditorium. So, yeah. I'm not sure when the next update will be, but I do plan to do it soon. Even if the next chapter doesn't get much more happy go lucky it has to be better than heartbreak central up here. Ok, I'm getting myself even more down now. Can we try and think of happy stuff? I mean tomorrow I'll be watching "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" and hopefully a new episode of the Fairly Oddparents which I was really laughing at like three hours ago, and I got a few results on my story poll...ok maybe the last one not so bright side. It's a tie between two stories and I really hope there will be a clear winner in about two weeks. Ok, no more depression! Happy stuff...must go happy! Somebody break out a clown suit! A monkey juggling other monkeys! Grandpa Simpson tripping over a banana peel! Anything! -cricket chirp--cricket chirp- Erm.... Babaloo?


	18. Chapter 17

Ok the story will be over soon. If I had to estimate how many chapter's I'd say...more than five, less then ten. Remember, it's just an estimate. So yeah, sorry I waited a while to update here. I have officially finished my Deleted HSM Scenes which did take a little longer than I expected, and this may be the last, if not one of the last, full chapters based off the scene from the movie. Most of the other chapters I'm going to do after this will be all completely HSM-ified. So let me give you a head's up on what happens in here today. You are going to have a hint to a different side of Sharpay you may not have expected her to have, this will have the last song that's actually sung in the movie, and hopefully it'll leave you all with your mouths dropped open. Cause you know, it's supposed to be a type of "giga gasp, what's going on in here, no don't do that" feelings. So now to say thank you to the people who have reviewed last chapter: Hsm, Actingprincess, Chaylorxtraylorlover, Mzwendy85, and Creativelyyourz. Enjoy now this chapter. ^^  
Disclaimer: I do not own the song, characters, movie, etc etc etc.

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Jimmie's hooves stomped rapidly on the cold, dry woodland grounds as numerous square inches of the woods were searched for Troy. Taylor held tight onto his reigns, constantly calling Troy's name. But there hadn't been one single answer from him. Taylor knew that it was too early to fear the worst, but it wouldn't be long before her concern got the better of her. She had seen the image of her brother in the mirror and it was far from pretty. It was still clear in her mind, seeing Troy collapsed in the snow and coughing. Even if it were something as simple as a sore throat or a common cold, Troy was still sick and needed help. He needed to be at home where it was warm and comforting. He needed a cold pack on his head if he had a fever. And he needed something to soothe his throat from all that coughing. But Troy couldn't exactly have any of that if he wasn't found. Taylor wasn't even sure how long she and Jimmie were searching for. It could have been hours or a couple of days. Perhaps the days were exaggerating a bit, but it was possible. The woods were a huge area and it was easy to get lost. Troy could be anywhere in there. And for a long time all the two of them saw were bare trees, a dark sky, and snow.

"Troy!"

The scenery had changed very little. It was nearly the same sight over and over again. The most that was different were the way the trees lay from their roots in the ground, where their branches were and how they stuck out, and the amount of snow on the ground on each side of them. But they had still been seeing the same things. Jimmie had barely had a change in response to the sights. And he had kept his eyes out just as well as Taylor for anything. He knew what they were looking for. Even when Jimmie thought he heard something, his ears would twitch and his step would slow down a bit, in fear that it was a wolf after them. But luckily there was no such case. A few close calls, maybe, but no predators. They were safe. The question was, is Troy safe at all?

"Troy!"

On the other hand, maybe it just wasn't wise to leave the castle alone, even if the Beast did release her. Yes, Taylor had Jimmie, but something in the back of her mind was telling her that it wasn't enough. Jimmie's eyesight and sense of smell as well as his overdeveloped hearing would be great assets to their search, but maybe a tracking dog would have been more helpful. They had a better sense of smell and hearing. They were more sensitive to the changes around them. Jimmie...well, Jimmie could be jumpy sometimes. Even when he squealed a few times those had all been false alarms. The little scaredy horse. Then again, maybe a dog wasn't necessary. There was a slight possibility that Taylor and Jimmie could find Troy no their own. Maybe they didn't need anyone else. Still, it would have been wise to start a search party. Maybe some of the servants in the castle knew what he looked like and could help her. Taylor almost considered going back and asking for help. But no; it was too late for that. She was already far enough from the castle and she wasn't about to get lost trying to find her way back.

"Troy?"

It was a while before Jimmie stopped briefly to take a breather. Taylor didn't mind; he deserved it with all he was doing. She had even watched his reactions closely. If Jimmie saw something he would squeal and jump onto his hind legs while kicking his front ones. He'd do anything to get Taylor's attention if he saw something. But there was no such reaction. Maybe Troy was nowhere to be found. Maybe the wolves got to him first. Maybe he was already long gone. As predicted, after their restless searching for who knows how long, Taylor was beginning to lose hope. But when her horse started slowly walking again, he got her attention. Turning her head sharply, Taylor knew she wasn't hallucinating. Right there on the baron ground around what looked like some melted snow was an unconscious Troy.

But as Jimmie carried the siblings back to the village and their farm and Taylor began helping Troy into the house upon their arrival, neither of them took notice of the snowman that had been built at the side of the house and then slowly ripped apart moments later. That was the unnoticed sight of Ryan jumping out from his frozen hide-away and going to tell his sister the news.

---

Troy had no idea where he was or what had happened. The last thing he recalled was searching hopelessly through the woods to find a way back to the castle. It had been cold and dark. Mostly cold; the snow hadn't made his surroundings completely dark. Not with its glistening white shade against the think brown trees or anything of the sort. But nearly everything became a blank to Troy. He tried to replay the events in his mind to the best of his ability. It was quite difficult with his pounding headache. He hoped it would end soon. And he was still so cold.... That's right! He had been in the snow multiple times. He recalled getting thrown out of Sharpay's and Ryan's home attempting to explain to them of the monster that had captured his sister. They were in the middle of some karaoke or party or something when he had gotten caught in Sharpay's typical innocence. She had acted like they would help him without hesitation, and then had some of her people or whoever they were throw him out.

What was this warmth? Something on him felt much better. He didn't know what it was. But slowly the icy feeling in his body started melting away. He barely felt it on his bare hands. What was it, fleese? Not flannel. Not cotton. Oh well, it was something soft and warm.

Then what happened? Oh yes, that was right. He spent quite some time planning to journey back to the castle and rescue Taylor from the Beast. He could remember the monster clearly in his head. Huge paws, tall muscular...very furry...body, sharp fangs, ugly snout, very vicious, cold and deceitful eyes...the image was just plain horrible. He had no idea what kind of torture that creature had been bestowing on his baby sister. Well maybe not baby sister, but he was technically older than her so could still see her as a baby sister. That's how it went with older brothers.

Look at this! He was unconscious and even then he was going crazy. Either that or back and forth between a crazy side and a more level headed side. What was wrong with this boy?

Now what was this on his head? It felt nice. Damp, but nice. Oh...ooooohhhh no more headache. The pain is gone! He felt so much better now.

The next thing Troy knew, his eyes began to flutter. Darkness continued to surround his vision and upon coming back into contact with reality he could feel a sense of light headedness. Must be the headache leaving, or at least he hoped so. A few moans escaped him, which normally for Troy was something he did when it involved a rude awakening. There was no rude awakening here; no loud alarm clock or roosters crowing or anything. It must have been the headache that gave him a little wake-up call. His vision was blurry at first, the brightness of wherever he was conflicting with the darkness he'd been seeing for who knows how long. He had to blink a couple of times, also allowing his eyes to adjust to the vast lighting in there as opposed to the extremely dim lighting he had been seeing. And that's when he saw her - sitting right at the edge of his bed and replacing the wet cloth on his head for a fresh one was his sister.

"T-T-Taylor?"

Taylor smiled softly, unable to describe how relieved she felt that her brother was awake and looking better now. Well, maybe not back at top health, but he was still looking better than when she had found him. It was most likely that, although they had arrived back home earlier that day after throughout most of last night searching to find him and then traveling back home, Taylor had overreacted about Troy's condition. He was still cold from being outside so much and did have a slight fever, but his 'illness' was nothing to freak out about.

"It's alright Troy." she promised, taking a fresh cloth and gently rubbing it against his forehead to finish getting rid of the fever. "I'm home. We're both home."

Troy still looked exhausted after everything he had been through, but his eyes still lit up with delight just seeing Taylor not only by his side but away from the horrible monster and in one piece. A weak smile coming across his face as he tried to fully wake up, Troy tried to push himself to sit up on his bed.

"Troy lay back down. You need some more rest." Taylor urged cautiously, not wanting him to tire himself out already.

"Tay I'm just so relieved you're alright." Troy replied as he managed to sit up just far enough to wrap his sister in a...well, maybe not a tight hug, but a warm enough hug that he always loved giving her. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Troy." she replied hugging him back gently.

"And what about the Beast?" Troy asked. He wanted to know everything that happened. He had to know how she dealt with it, how she made it out in one piece...everything. "Did he hurt you? Did he keep you in the dungeon? How did you escape?"

And apparently mushy family time was over.

"I didn't escape." Taylor admitted, pulling away just enough to look her brother in the eyes. She actually had a smile on her face remembering the details. The Beast had been so kind just letting her go like he did. But he looked so sad, too. As much as she hadn't wanted to leave him Taylor had to for the sake of Troy. Her brother was more important than any other guy.... The Beast was a guy, right?

"Well then what happened?" Troy asked, wondering why all of a sudden she looked like she was on cloud nine. Who made his sister so happy? Was there another prisoner in the castle? Did the two of them hook up? Oh when Troy got his hands on that guy....

"He let me go." she answered, interrupting his thoughts.

"What?" he gasped. "He just let you go?"

Taylor nodded. The explanation was supposed to be simple but somehow for Troy it just wasn't sinking in. "He let me go. Just like that."

"But...but...but...." Troy was just at a loss of words. It didn't make sense. Alright he was no rocket scientist, he'll admit that, but he just couldn't understand how something as dangerous as that beast would just let her go.

"There's no buts, Troy." she giggled trying to get it through his thick skull. "He let me go."

"But...but...but..." he stammered again. "But...that horrible, monstrous Beast? He just...let you go?"

Taylor actually understood how Troy felt. Why shouldn't he be caught off guard by it, if nothing else? When Troy had met the Beast he was a prisoner. The Beast didn't care about what happened to Troy or who did what to him. And then he just threw him out to the carriage and forced him out so Taylor could stay in his place. The Beast was cold and heartless back then. And even though it was a short time ago, even if it didn't feel like it, Taylor had seen a great change in the Beast. She knew he wasn't like that. He was no longer the same monster they had originally met. Just because he looked like a monster didn't mean he was one.

"He's not like that anymore, Troy. He's different now." Taylor replied. "He's changed."

It was as simple as that and it was supposed to be. Even if Taylor could have a hunch as to the reasoning for the Beast's change, she highly doubted it was true. It couldn't have anything at all to do with her. She had merely been a prisoner there who happened to - what was the right wording for this - get along with him. Develop a friendship. But even she could tell it wasn't as simple as a friendship. As much as she wanted to deny it ,something inside of her was going against it. How she was even able to keep it all bottled up was incredible enough; numerous girls would probably be blabbing about it now trying to figure out their feelings. But let's be honest - this story doesn't really apply to numerous girls. The point was, her mind was saying one thing and yet her heart was saying something else.

Before Taylor could even begin to comprehend it, whether it be out loud or in her head, she and Troy turned their heads to her bag which had begun wiggling. That made no sense. All Taylor had packed in there was the enchanted mirror, she was sure of it. She hadn't felt anything move in there when she was riding on Jimmie nor at any point after putting it around her shoulder. So why on earth would something be in it now?

The answer had shortly arrived. The bag opened up and not only did the mirror slide out of it and onto the bed, but a little tea cup was spinning on top of it after tumbling out, appearing very dizzy. Now why would a tea cup be doing that?

"Hiya!"

Wait...talking tea cup...eyes on a talking tea cup...a smile on a talking tea cup.... Oh of course!

"Look at that. A stowaway." Taylor stated, watching Donny hop across the bed and over to them. Wait a second...! Taylor's eyes widened as she looked at him. "Donny does your sister know you're here?"

"Nope. I told her I was gonna go find my clothes." Donny chuckled as he made his way into Troy's palm. "I'm on a super secret mission! Start your engines!"

"Wait, Gabriella doesn't know you're gone?" she gasped. "She's probably worried sick. You could get in trouble."

Troy chuckled. Yup, there she goes worrying too much again. Hey, it happened. "Tay calm down. He made it here in one piece. He's in safe hands." He looked down at Donny who still had a big smile on his face. "Hey there little dude. I remember you."

"Yeah! You're the dude the master kicked out for Taylor." Donny nodded.

Troy raised an eyebrow. "You sound different. Did your voice change?"

Well Donny's voice had gotten a little deeper. "Maybe it changed on the way here." Yes, an excellent time for anyone to start puberty.

"That means then it's time for a man to man talk about growing up." Troy realized. "And since I'm the only guy here that means I have to tell you about what to do when you-"

"Troy this isn't the time for any kind of talk like that." Taylor interrupted him, not really wanting to hear it herself.

Donny turned to Taylor, forgetting about the whole 'becoming a man' deal and wanting to know something more important. "Taylor why'd you leave the castle? Don't you like us anymore?"

Taylor didn't expect Donny to understand. He may be growing but he did have some innocence of a little kid in him. Taylor had actually wanted to stay in the castle. She had gotten used to living there. She'd grown close to the enchanted objects and saw them as good friends. She had her own library where she had not only read a few books for herself but also taught the Beast how to read again. She got to dance with him and have the night of her life even if it was cut short. But...well you know how it is with family. That's what Taylor couldn't get out of her head. As happy as she would be at the castle she just couldn't imagine anything without her brother. The enchanted objects were amazing friends and close to feeling like family but they just wouldn't be the same.

"Of course I do, Donny." she promised. Now what would be a good way to explain this to him? "But it's just-"

She didn't get any further than that. Taylor took her eyes off of the boys and looked towards the living room and where the front door was. There was a knock on there; someone was outside waiting for them. Excusing herself, Taylor slowly got up from the bed and made her way out of the bedroom, through the living room, and to the front door. She opened it a crack at first. The only thing she could see through that crack was someone around her height or perhaps shorter with very pale skin. Raising an eyebrow, Taylor opened the door all the way. There was a large group of people outside with...torches? What was going on? Turning her attention back to who was in front of her house she was able to recognize the woman as Mademoiselle Kelsi. Taylor had barely seen the girl but knew it was her who ran the asylum. Oh no.... There was no way this was going where Taylor thought it was going!

"May I help you?" Taylor asked cautiously, knowing enough this time around not to jump to conclusions.

"I've come for your brother." Kelsi merely answered.

"What?" Taylor quirked an eyebrow, wanting to make sure she heard her right.

"I've come to collect your brother." she repeated.

"My brother? But why?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, don't worry about a thing. I specialize in helping his sorts of people. I know exactly what he needs." Kelsi replied. "But don't worry about a thing. I'll take good care of him." She stepped out of the way to reveal a wagon waiting in the middle of the mob. And even though Taylor couldn't read the entire writing on the side of it, she was able to make out one word that only confirmed her fears: asylum.

"My brother is not crazy!" Taylor gasped, stepping outside. "How could you even think something like that?" Clearly this woman had no idea what she was thinking. No one who ran anything just waltzed to their house and not only implied that Troy was crazy but also practically threatened to take him away and lock him in some...some...cuckoo hut!

Ryan took that as his cue to step forward. "We saw him before. He kept going on and on like a crazy person. We all heard him."

In an instant everyone echoed Ryan with a 'yeah' of sorts to show their support and agreement. And from the shadows of the side of the farm, Sharpay smirked. So far everything was going according to plan.

Taylor saw a few people jump out of the wagon, most likely ready to make their way through and get Troy. "No, I'm not letting you!" she insisted, stepping forward.

Troy poked his head outside, wondering what all the ruckus was about. "Tay?" he asked quietly.

Ryan noticed Troy slowly stepping out. As Ryan was the only one who knew where his sister was hiding out, he was able to look to her for a signal. Even though it was faint, he still saw her nod. He turned back to look at Troy. In Ryan's opinion, the angry mob was just a little too much. Maybe kind of over the top. Then again it was his sister they were talking about. But really, was all this necessary? Deciding it was too late to even think that this was a bad idea now, he decided to go along with the plan.

"Hey Troy, what about that Beast you keep trying to tell us all about?" he asked sarcastically. "Tell us more about the big scary monster. Just how big was he?"

Troy stepped forward. Oh man, now he had to try and remember everything! Could he even recall every detail of the Beast? "He was...he was..." he stammered.

"He was what? Come on Troy, we're all waiting." Ryan replied.

"He was enormous!" Troy exclaimed. "He had to be a good eight...no, more like ten feet!"

Ryan as well as the mob just burst out laughing. The only ones that weren't laughing was Sharpay and Kelsi. Sharpay, on the one hand, was trying to keep her presence hidden for the time being. She knew how to make her entrance and do it on cue. As for Kelsi, she merely raised an eyebrow. She said nothing or made any sudden reactions.

"Well listen to him! You don't get much crazier than that." Ryan laughed. "And they call me Captain Clueless sometimes." he added to himself.

Apparently some of the girls heard that because they ran right over to Ryan and completely surrounded him like a bunch of fan girls. They began saying things like, "it's such a cute pet name" or "we love captain clueless".

"But it's true!" Troy exclaimed rushing to try and tell the entire mob.

"Let's get him!" the baker exclaimed

"Wait, get me?" Troy gasped.

Out of the asylum wagon jumped a couple of men, most likely two of the many people that worked in the building itself. They ran over to Troy and each grabbed one of his arms. As much as Troy tried struggling he didn't stand a chance against either of them, most likely because of the experience the pair must have had from doing things like this so often.

"Hold on, let go of me!" Troy insisted. "Or at least loosen the grip on my arms, I need these to invent stuff!"

"Wait!" Taylor gasped, trying to stop them. She ran over and grabbed Kelsi's arm as she was about to head back into the wagon with the boys. "You can't do this!"

"I have no choice. It's my job." Kelsi replied simply as she managed to get out of Taylor's grip. "Just let your brother get the help he needs and let us do our job."

Sharpay smirked. Everything was going according to plan. Step one: involve Kelsi in her scheme. Step two: gather a mob together as soon as Ryan informed them of their return. Step three: have Kelsi take Troy away. Step four: Convince Taylor to run out of town with her crazy brother and never return. Step five: take over the town for herself...oh, and with Ryan of course.

Stepping out of the shadows, Sharpay walked ever so innocently over to Taylor. "Well now isn't that just such a horrible shame? It looks like Troy earned himself a one way ticket to the wacky shack. The poor guy."

As much as Taylor couldn't stand this girl, for all she knew Sharpay was the only one who could believe her. Ok, maybe not but it was worth a shot. Besides Sharpay had been the only one Taylor didn't see in the mob so it was worth a shot. Anything to stop them from taking Troy to that awful place.

"You can't possibly think that Troy's crazy can you?" she asked.

"I don't know, I mean he has always been the odd one out..." Sharpay said innocently.

"He's creative. He has a big imagination. Even you can't confuse that with craziness right Sharpay?" Taylor replied hopefully.

That sounded an awful lot like an insult - or at least an implied one - to Sharpay. Stay calm Sharpay, just stick with the plan. The sooner she gets through it the sooner these nuisances will be out of her life.

"Well truth be told, there could be a little misunderstanding. I mean I'm sure it's not entirely Troy's fault people misinterpret him as crazy." she shrugged her shoulders. "I think I might just be able to get him out of this little situation. But there is one little catch."

"What's that?" Taylor quirked an eyebrow.

"If you and that brother of yours leave town forever and never come back. "Sharpay answered, just enough to let her harshness shine through. As far as she was considered, it emphasized the seriousness of this situation.

Taylor blinked. There's no way she could have heard that right. "Come again?"

"One little word Taylor, that's all it takes. One word, one syllable, three letters, and your brother's back in the land of Sane Ville with you." The way Sharpay said that almost sounded like a threat.

Now as much as Taylor would have agreed to do anything for the safety of her brother, she knew she couldn't agree to that. If she said no then Troy would be taken to the asylum for sure, and for all Taylor knew she'd never be able to see him again. But if she did leave as Sharpay asked - using the word as lightly as possible of course - then where were she and Troy supposed to go? Surely they couldn't get back to the castle. And where else was there to go other than the woods? If they weren't attacked by wolves then they would most certainly starve or freeze to death. There was no way that could have been worth it. Plain and simple. Taylor's mind was made up.

"Never!"

"Have it your way!" Sharpay snapped, clearly not liking that this had not gone her way. She didn't understand; she always got her way. This wasn't supposed to happen .Why now of all times was she being defied? What the heck was wrong with this girl? Could she not take a hint? Oh how steamed Sharpay was right now! She stormed away from Taylor and walked over to her brother. There had to be some way around this. They'd need to think of a different plan somehow. But what? How?

"Let go of me!" Troy insisted, snapping Sharpay out of her thoughts. The blond watched as the men continued dragging Troy away. Actually it was quite a pretty sight if she did say so herself. He actually thought he had a chance of escaping. Well in all honesty, Troy would have a better chance if he was back at full strength; and while he was fully awake now he didn't have all his strength back.

Taylor for one couldn't watch this anymore. She quickly ran back into the house, knowing of only one way to get out of this. It was risky, but it was the only other way to save Troy.

"Tay!" Troy gasped. Where was she going now?

Seconds later, Taylor ran back out with the mirror in her hands. She wished there was another way but they just couldn't get out of it. "My brother's not crazy and I can prove it!"

Sharpay looked at her doubtfully. There was no way she could have proof of all this. Her eyes widened as she saw what Taylor did and what shortly followed.

Facing the mirror Taylor knew exactly what to do. "Show me the Beast!" She turned the mirror away from her when the glass glowed and when the light faded, all the townspeople could see in awe of what was on the screen. Surely enough it was the Beast that Troy spoke of. In the picture the Beast roaerd, though compared to the numerous roars Taylor had heard from him it was much more hoarse and weak. Taylor watched as everyone's looks went from awe to horrified. They were scared out of their wits. And right now Taylor was quite afraid to. She was afraid of how it would turn out because she revealed the Beast.

Sharpay's jaw dropped as she saw the monster. Something about him just seemed so familiar. Maybe it was the way all of his fur resembled curly hair so much. There had only been one time before that Sharpay had seen something like that. But no.... No, it just couldn't be!

"Is it dangerous?" someone asked in the background, clearly frightened.

Obviously Taylor now had some straightening out to do. "Oh no, he'd never hurt anyone." she promised. There had to be some way to get them to understand. He wasn't who everyone thought he was just because of his looks. Taylor had known that better than anyone. "Please, I know he may look dangerous but he's really sweet and gentle."

Sharpay raised an eyebrow, looking at the image from over Taylor's shoulder. For the first time she didn't see an enemy in Taylor, someone who would steal he men or pose as a threat to her. for the first time she saw Taylor as an actual insane person. It was ridiculous. No, impossible. No, just...well it was a lot to take in. It was hard to believe. But really, who was this girl kidding? How could something like that be sweet and gentle? Maybe Sharpay should have risked throwing Taylor into the asylum instead. And just when she didn't think it could get any more insane, Taylor continued.

"He's my friend."

Now this was the perfect opportunity for Sharpay. She could most certainly use this against Taylor. Hiding a smirk, she raised an eyebrow and turned Taylor to face her.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you had feelings for this monster."

Taylor backed away with fire in her eyes. It wasn't the fact that Sharpay had assumed Taylor did have feelings for the Beast that bothered her. As far as Taylor was considered.... Well, alright she had no decent excuse. At least not off the top of her head. One thing she wasn't going to deny was that if anything else, she did care for the Beast. She cared about him deeply. But what Sharpay said...calling him a monster like that...how could she? She didn't know anything about him! She hadn't gotten to know the Beast like Taylor did. Every minute Taylor recalled spending with him since they had started to grow closer was just incredible. He reminded her nothing of a monster. She didn't care how vicious he looked, that wasn't him. He may have been a monster on the outside, but he didn't have the heart of a monster. Because a monster had no heart. Which is why the next statement had to have really burned Sharpay.

"He's no monster, Sharpay. You are!"

Sharpay scowled. Oh yeah, that really got to her. How dare Taylor say something like that about her! There was no way she could get away with that! It was the most...the most.... See, that's how much it irked Sharpay. She couldn't even describe how much she despised that comment. It took the meaning of annoyance to a whole new level. New people knew how feisty Sharpay could get. But there were two things that hardly anyone knew about the girl. Maybe Ryan, or at least had a faint idea of them, but only because he was her brother. But shortly enough, the entire town was about to learn the first hidden talent of Sharpay. But the first thing was first - if Taylor was going to go and just think she can get away with calling Sharpay a monster, then Sharpay would just have to ruin as much of Taylor's credibility as she could. And with her not getting much from the town from the start, there was no way it would be that difficult to wreck.

"She's as crazy as her wacko brother." she sneered, snatching the mirror out of Taylor's grasp. Right then and there, she started saying anything that came to her mind when she thought of The Beast. Turning to the townspeople, she waved the mirror and spoke in a creepy yet very serious voice. "The Beast will come after your children. He'll make off with them in the night!" She watched as the children, all scared to death, gripped tightly onto their mothers' dresses. And completely ignoring Taylor's plea for her to stop, Sharpay continued. "We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the Beast!" She raised the mirror in the air and the townspeople cheered.

Now one may be wondering how Sharpay could ever place any animal's head on her wall. Let's just say you were about to see the second side of Sharpay that no one knew about. She started out by going from group to group of the townspeople, listening to what they had to say about all this. First was what looked like an immigrant, most likely someone from Japan. The next one looked very much bald as he continued after the first man. The woman who followed looked like she was in her late middle ages, her blond hair tight up and in a funky pair of glasses. Rounding it up was someone who actually looked like a very dignified, very successful business type man.

_"We're not safe until he's dead"_

_"He'll come stalking us in the night"_

_"Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite"_

_"He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free"_

That was Sharpay's cue to take over. Everyone knew she was very much someone who wanted and enjoyed to take charge, and now they were going to see just how far she'd take it. She grabbed the last man's torch and strutted onto the stairs that let to the house's front door. Her powerful voice rang far above everyone else's, being the first hint that she had most definitely had something planned.

_"So it's time to take some action boys_

_It's time to follow me!"_

She then slammed the torch into a nearby bucket of water, most likely what Jimmie the horse always drank from. She continued to put her first hidden talent to work, placing the mirror in the pocket of the seemingly cute little jacket she had on. She crept in between the crowd and almost started going after Ryan. She had seen the doubt in his eyes; maybe it was the whole theory about twins being able to read each others minds, but one way or another Sharpay knew that Ryan had some idea that this was going to far. She could see his concerned look quite easily and knew that her every move was beginning to frighten him. But it was all to get her point across. She was not letting her brother turn his back on her now.

_"Through the mist_

_Through the woods_

_Through the darkness and the shadows_

_It's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride"_

Yes, Sharpay continued to go after Ryan. She was going to get this through to him no matter what it took. But would we even get to hear Ryan's thoughts on all of this? No; Sharpay was too busy poisoning everyone's mind with all of these stories about the Beast she was making up right on the spot. And they were hanging on her every word. She went after Ryan until she had him backed up to the house, where she then casually slipped her arm around who she'd often call her loving brother and pulled out the mirror from her pocket.

_"Say a prayer_

_Then we're there_

_At the drawbridge of a castle_

_And there's something truly terrible inside"_

She was most definitely having her suspicions about this Beast and where he came from. But that didn't stop her from continuing. She moved the mirror so the picture of the Beast was practically in Ryan's face. The sudden movements were oddly the ones that scared him rather than the Beast's picture. But Sharpay was so getting into this and getting her point over with the very catchy tune that she didn't even notice the crestfallen look on the Beast's face, and it most certainly wasn't from what they were planning.

_"It's a beast_

_He's got fangs_

_Razor sharp ones_

_Massive paws_

_Killer claws for the feast"_

She moved away from her brother and decided that if he wasn't going to listen to her then she wasn't going to bother dealing with this. She knew exactly why they had to go after the Beast now, but it wasn't because of all of these stories. She had her own plans in store. Moving back to face the village and swung the mirror around.

_"Hear him roar_

_See him foam_

_But we're not coming home_

_'Till he's dead!"_

Everyone was hanging on her every whim. Sharpay raised her voice even more, knowing that no one would be stupid enough to defy her.

"Good and dead! Kill the Beast!"

Taylor shook her head unable to watch all of this. She ran over to Sharpay and tried to get the mirror out of Sharpay's grasp. There had to be some way to stop her, there just had to be a way.

"No! I won't let you!"

Sharpay glared at Taylor and scowled. This was not a part of her plan. No matter how book smart Taylor was, she just was not smart if she was trying to fight Sharpay about this. Looks like she'd have to get Taylor out of the way first.

"If you're not with us, then you're against us!"

She pulled her arm away from Taylor quite easily, showing off that she had some strength to her and wasn't just a dainty little princess type girl.

"Bring the boy!" she called.

At an instant, the men who were hauling Troy into the wagon before brought him out and over to Sharpay just as she ordered.

"Hey, I'm practically the same age as her!" Troy gasped. Why was she calling him 'the boy'?

Sharpay snapped her fingers and then men dropped Troy in the basement, the place where he usually kept his inventions. Sharpay dragged Taylor over, grabbing her arm and having a tight grip on her. If this girl was smart like everyone else then the lesson would be learned not to get on her bad side. And oddly enough none of the men who thought she was so sweet and innocent were turned off by this. Yes, somehow they were still drooling all over her. She must have had a gift somehow.

"We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" Sharpay said, explaining as to why they were being thrown into the basement.

Taylor was putting up a fight to get loose of Sharpay, but Sharpay knew she didn't necessarily need brains or strength to outdo Taylor. In this case, she would barely be paying attention to anything. She was too preoccupied worrying about her little Beast. That's when Sharpay knew exactly what to do. letting go of Taylor's arm, she tripped her at an instant and Taylor slipped down into the basement.

"Let us out!" Taylor insisted as she tried pushing open the basement doors as soon as Sharpay slammed them in hers and Troy's face. But Sharpay had already found a way to block their only exit. Grabbing someone's sword which they had so conveniently attached to their belt, Sharpay began commanding the weapon with such skill. Everyone watched in amazement as the sword did as she pleased. Yes, they were now witnessing Sharpay's hidden talent: the art of swordmastering. Oh well if it wasn't a word then Sharpay would certainly call it that. It was a good thing her father had told her to do something with her free time other than shopping and singing. Plus if any man dared to do anything to her...well, let's just say she had the perfect way to get back at them, or at least give them a dang good warning not to mess with her. But was she really planning to use that weapon of choice to fight? Well, there was only one way to find out.

"We'll rid the village of this Beast. Who's with me?" she announced.

The townspeople raised their torches and echoed numerous 'I am's'. Donny slowly poked his head out from the door, watching with mostly concern the sight that was happening. He thought he saw them lock Taylor and Troy in the basement...but there was no way they could have, right? There had to be a way to get them out of there. But even Donny wasn't that reckless. He couldn't do anything until they were gone. All he could do was wait and hope that the remaining child brain cells he had could come up with a creative plan to get them out of there.

As for Ryan, he barely had any time to think in all this mess. He could see that Sharpay's...well, a lot about Sharpay, actually...was getting the better of her. If anything was Sharpay's biggest flaw, it had to be her passion. When she projected her voice the way she was doing now, it was filled with order and confidence but also with much passion. It was a very strong asset and perhaps her best one at that, but it was also her greatest downfall. She was letting her passion get the better of her and Ryan could see that. Why else would he be just watching with a dropped mouth still standing against the house and watching the whole scene in front of him?

But perhaps the only other person who wasn't reacting at all to this, whether it be by speaking, standing up, or whatever, was Kelsi. But the reasoning for her not speaking up? For now, that was just for her to know.

For those of the towns folk who didn't have their torches lit, others helped them and even went so far as to grab saws or pitch forks. Sharpay jumped onto the horse that she had brought and not only had the mirror still in her pocket but also the sword tight in her hands practically guiding the town's every movement. Let's just say it was a good thing she was wearing pants for this whole song - even if they were designer.

_"Light your torch,_

_Mount your horse"_

_"Screw your courage to the stinking place"_

_"We're counting on Sharpay to lead the way"_

Yes, but as ridiculous as it all sounded it was very much true. Sharpay, on her trusty steed, began leading the folks towards the woods, quite confidently actually.

_"Through a mist,_

_Through a wood,_

_Where within a haunted castle_

_Something's lurking that you don't see ev'ryday"_

They began marching through the village and all the wives and, well mainly women and old folk, that stayed behind just stayed in their homes and watched as they marched, secretly wishing them good luck for the upcoming battle like they were off to war.

_"It's a beast_

_One as tall as a mountain_

_We won't rest_

_'Til he's good and deceased"_

Everyone continued to follow to Sharpay, as they began to enter the woods. Sharpay seemed more confident than usual, knowing exactly where they needed to go. Everyone raised their torches and pitch forks, taking their role as an angry mob very seriously.

_"Sally forth_

_Tally ho_

_Grab your sword_

_Grab your bow_

_Praise the Lord and here we go!"_

Sharpay swung her sword like it was a baton, keeping as strong a grip on it as she had since she had first taken it. Tugging on her horse's reigns, it neighed wildly and swung its front legs as it stood tall on its hind ones, most likely another way Sharpay was making sure to get everyone's attention. After all, she was dramatic. This was all a part of her job.

"We'll storm into the castle and take his head if we have to!"

Yes, have we mentioned she's being very over dramatic?

---

In the meantime, with the one window that was down in the basement, Taylor was doing everything she could to open it. She knew that the basement doors were locked from the outside so there was no way they could get out that way. But the window was just as hopeless. That was merely there to let the light in and for decoration, but even if they wanted to open the window that would usually have to be done from the outside as well. But Taylor didn't care; she just wanted to get out of there. She couldn't help but scold herself in her head over and over again for their current predicament, not to mention the one that the Beast would soon be in. Who knows what Sharpay was going to do to him? Well...besides simply yell at him, of course.

"I have to warn the Beast!" she gasped, answering Troy's unasked question. She just knew that he had been watching her the whole time; she had felt his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. She groaned and crawled down from the chair she was standing on and finally gave up on the window, almost reaching the point where she thought there was no hope. "This is all my fault!"

"You can't blame yourself like this, Tay." Troy said loyally as he wrapped his arms around her. He knew there wasn't much he could do and he knew that there had to be something going on between the Beast and his sister. And as much as he'd love to take this chance to pull the overprotective brother act and ask question after question, he just knew that it wouldn't do any good.

Taylor sighed heavily and just let Troy hold tightly onto her. Maybe that's what she needed more than anything right now. "Troy what are we going to do?"

Ok...the monster that had held Troy captive earlier was in trouble and Taylor was begging him to help save him. This was an odd twist of events. Oh wait...maybe they were an odd family. But Troy couldn't think of that now. Family came first, and that's what mattered.

"Don't worry Tay. We'll think of something."

What neither of them knew was that Donny was standing by the window and just barely managing to hear ever part of their short-lived conversation. His face fell as he turned away from the window, thinking at first there was nothing he could when he turned around his face lit up. Yes, yes there was something he could do! He could turn this around. He was the optimistic youngest one of the enchanted objects! And boy did he ever have a plan to get them out of here. Oh this was going to be so sweet...maybe more like something someone would do in a cartoon...but that's what made it all the more fun!

One word: catapult.

---

The mob continued making their way through the woods, practically between half way and almost at the castle now. Sharpay had to have known some sort of shortcut on how to get there, as neither Troy or Taylor had eben able to get there so quickly when they entered. They were still chanting their mob song and jumping over small creeks, running around trees, and even ripping apart a few vines that managed to grow in that particular area just to get to the haunted castle.

_"We don't like_

_What we don't understand_

_In fact it scares us_

_And the monster is mysterious at least"_

Together, a small group of axe men began chopping down a tree, followed by a larger group sawing down the recently broken down tree and making it into one large log. Not exactly a friendly environmental motion to put in a kid's type movie. But they weren't sending out a good message either. And obviously, based on five seconds of observation from one image they were doing plenty of things that they were not supposed to do. As soon as the tree was chopped and sawed, most of the men began carrying it towards the castle as Sharpay continued to lead the way and lightning struck in the sky, a sure sign that a storm was well on its way.

_"Bring your guns_

_Bring your knives_

_Save your children and your wives_

_We'll save our village and our lives_

_Let's kill the Beast!"_

---

Lightning struck once more and Gabriella watched as Jason paced around the space between her, Zeke, and Boi. The clock had his hands behind his back and he was seeming...well, not as down as he was before but a bit on the cranky side.

"I knew it!" Jason sighed heavily. "I knew it was stupid to get our hopes up. What were we thinking?"

"Well maybe it would be better if she didn't come at all." Zeke said stubbornly folding his arms. Now normally he'd be the one trying to help them think positively. Maybe not be the childish optimistic one, but at least try and get everyone's hopes up. Either Zeke had finally given into the fact that the spell never be broken now, or he was trying to pull some kind of reverse psychology on them, mainly Jason, and see if he'd put up a fight over it.

Boi's head snapped over to the large window of the room they were in, hearing something from outside that wasn't just the storm. And let's not forget, he is still a dog so his sense of hearing and smell is much more acute than a human's. None of that changed just because he was a very comfortable foot stool. Baring loudly, he began scratching on the window. Anything to get their attention.

"Could it be?" Zeke gasped, turning to the window, now beginning to get his hopes up about what Boi saw outside.

"Is it she?" Gabriella exclaimed just as hopefully, even smiling as an added bonus. She followed the boys over to the window, wishing that it was Taylor rushing back to the Beast and help break the spell. Or at least come back to stay with them until the time was done. Oh let's be honest, they all wanted the spell to be broken! It would just be an accomplishment if Taylor had returned.

"Sacre bleu! Invaders!" Zeke's mouth dropped, being the first to see an angry mob storm to the front doors of the castle.

"Big dummies!" Jason added, unable to think of a better word. Well, they had to be if they were coming to the castle and trying to tear it down or something. Come on, what did they ever do to these guys to make them attack in the first place?

"And they've got the mirror." Gabriella noticed, just as worried as the boys. She could see Sharpay leading them still on her horse, and the mirror was sticking out of her pocket as clear as day. That, and because Gabriella had very good eyesight. But the more important question was how the heck did they get it?

"We gotta warn the master! If it's a fight they want, then it's a fight they'll get." Jason said, looking incredibly serious for the first time. He even pounded one of his fists into the palm of his hand for emphasis, unaware that the others were already making their way out of the room.

"Now who's with me?" Jason yelled confidently, knowing that his friends had to be behind him. But as soon as he turned around, the door was slammed and he was left in the room alone. Oh man, they went ahead without him again!

---

Outside Sharpay jumped off her horse and a harsh drizzle began to brew. The torches may have been going out but everyone still had the pitch forks and the giant tree log with them. And now that they were practically at the front doors ready for their first attack, Sharpay took that moment to make something perfectly clear.

"Take whatever you can find in there. But remember, the Beast is mine!"

And when she said the Beast was hers, she was not kidding.

---

Inside in the main hallway where the start of the date surprisingly not too long ago had taken place, nearly all of the objects were marching down and heading to the front doors. Martha led them, and although she was normally a very passive person and always chose brains over brawn this was an exception. The castle was being threatened and everyone was chipping in to do their part. None of them were letting that mob get into the castle!

_"Hearts ablaze_

_Banners high_

_We go marching into battle_

_Unafraid although the danger's just increased."_

As for the mob outside they were practically now taking their stand at the castle's doors to make their first move. More lightning flashed in the sky and when Sharpay gave the signal, the giant log was raised.

_"Raise the flag_

_Sing the song_

_Here we come, we're fifty strong_

_And fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong_

_Let's kill the Beast!"_

and just before any of the enchanted objects could touch the front doors, they stopped dead in their tracks hearing a powerful pound against the door and almost seeing it move. They were here!

---

Gabriella stepped into the West Wing very cautiously - of rather, hoped - moments later. She spoke quietly, not wanting to upset the master as anyone could clearly tell that he was hurt. Maybe not on the outside because nothing had attacked him yet. But he was killing on the inside. And having been told that Gabriella could be such a hopeless romantic, she knew that it wasn't the rose giving him that killing feeling.

"Excuse me, master?"

The Beast had his back turned to her, his body practically hovering over the table where the magical rose was. There was no way he was going to turn to face anyone now. He didn't need to deal with anyone right now. And now all he could do was watch as the petals of the rose continued to fall.

"Leave me alone." he muttered, clearly giving her the message he didn't want to see or talk to anyone.

Gabriella couldn't stand to see him like this. But as much as her, or any of the other servants in fact, would love to take the time and figure out how to cheer him up they just couldn't afford to. And the Beast had to know what was about to happen.

"But sir, the castle is under attack!"

---

The mob pounded the log against the door, continuing to try and break it down. And yet they continued to chant their little mob song.

_"Kill the Beast!_

_Kill the Beast!"_

And inside every enchanted object that had gotten to the front door had their backs up against it, doing the best that they could to try and stop the door from falling. But man, however many people there were out there were strong! And they really knew how to work some heavy object! Even if every single object in the castle go together it would most likely still be impossible to stop it.

"This isn't working!" Zeke moaned, being the first to confess the truth. He knew it wasn't being very helpful, but it would be even less helpful if they broke the doors down from the outside, leaving all of them servants crushed under the heavy wood.

"But Zeke, we have to do something!" Tiara gasped, being one of the objects at the top of the blockade. She had a very worried look on her face, knowing as well as anyone else that if the entered the castle then everyone would be in trouble. And yet somehow, Zeke knew exactly that Tiara was thinking that. His face lit up just thinking about it. Maybe that's exactly what they needed to do!

"Wait, I know!"

Two more pounds came from outside, the tree really beginning to make a crack in the strong doors.

_"Kill the Beast!_

_Kill the Beast!"_

---

Back in the West Wing the Beast continued to caress the rose's container with his paw ever so gently. It was the only thing that was probably keeping him alive right now, even if that was being unintentionally over dramatic, and he didn't dare say anything. So what if there was a mob out there? What difference would there be if there wasn't? It wasn't like he had any will left. He just couldn't feel anything. So it would be useless to do something about it.

Gabriella looked at him concerned, and although she was worried she was even more worried about her comrades downstairs and what they must be going through. Sure, they were safe for now, but what would happen when they couldn't hold off that group outside any longer? They were in danger and the master didn't seem to care at all. How were any of them supposed to get through his thick skull?

"What should we do master?" she asked softly.

The Beast took one look at the rose and saw it was down to its last petals. There weren't minutes left of it, but there was most likely no time left. There was no one there to make anything better. There was no one there to make him feel like he wasn't some sort of monster. And with the mob out there it only made him feel more dangerous and monstrous. He would never do anything violent to them, not now. But what good would it do anyway? There was no hope. There was nothing left to live for. He was at his last rope and he had given up all hope. Taking his eyes off the rose, he just stared at the drizzle now becoming more of a pouring rain outside and tuned out the outside world.

"It doesn't matter now. Just let them come."

---

and by that time, the door was almost completely broken down. There were a good two or three more smashes against the door before any results came from it.

_"Kill the Beast!_

_Kill the Beast!_

_Kill the Beast!"_

And the next thing the mob knew, the doors and opened and all the lights were off inside. nothing had broken down but there was no need to force themselves in anymore. All was quiet and lightning began to constantly flash outside the castle. It was always a sign that a big battle was about to begin. But none of them took any notice to that. There was only one thing that mattered now. They knew what they were there for and they knew what they had to accomplish in their stay. It was all coming down to this. So much anticipation was filled just watching the silence of the castle inside.

So the next thing they knew, they were in.

* * *

**http :// img20. image shack. us/ img20 /396/ character 8. jpg** - Ok the spaces probably aren't in the same place with this link but please cut me some slack as by the time I'm typing this and it's posted it's at least 1:30 am. Now here we have Jimmie, which was slightly difficult to resemble him in horse form. I did my best to imitate his messy-ish hair style in his mane as well as his eyes. I think it's one of the best pictures i did here, in all honesty, and I took the picture of my drawing at a slight angle which would most likely explain why I thought it looked a little more bulgy than on the actual paper. lol Alright, back to the chapter. I want to apologize for keeping you guys waiting so long on this one. I was fighting a slight case of writer's block as well as laziness. I probably worked on this chapter for 3 or 4 days, doing little parts the first couple of days, and pretty much the entire song for 4 hours straight. I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about this chapter going, but I did know that it wouldn't be Beauty and the Beast without the Mob Song. And I realized that although Sharpay had some of Gaston's qualities I wanted her to resemble him just a little, as not all of the characters here are exactly as they are in HSM. So that's why I gave her some expertise of working a sword but I will assure you that Sharpay does not intend to use it to kill anyone. That's probably giving something away, but I don't want you guys to think she's that evil just because she's the antagonist here. And yes, very soon you will find out Sharpay's whole take on this because there might have been a few hints in here on what she thinks. 0=) I was able to get Ryan's thoughts in briefly, but I do believe we see him starting to stray away from his sister and beginning to feel uncomfortable with this whole situation. And I do plan to keep Kelsi's opinions on this whole part a secret for now but I do have a little something planned for them. As for everyone else, I thought it was easiest to get their feelings across because they're more prominent characters in the story so it was easier to get across and actually come up with their feelings on all of this. And there might have been a few little hints in there as to who some of the townspeople were, just to give a couple of shout-outs to some of the other adults in the world of HSM, hint hint. Maybe because I did so much of this in one night this chapter felt kind of rushed to me but I still hop it came out well and that it's leaving you guys on edge wondering what's going to happen next and hasn't taken your interest away from the story. It's going to be much harder now to stick to the story of Beauty and the Beast but I do hope that I don't take as long to get the next chapter up. If I can get the end of the actual story done before school starts for me next week, that would be fantastic because then I would pretty much have everything planned that I need to finish off with and I can start the school year off happy knowing that this story has officially been completed and made you all very happy. C= So now I will shut up because as usual my blabbing has probably bored you or made you tired so I'm getting off and going to bed. Good night!


	19. Chapter 18

Alright, so not much to say about the previous chapter or this one. Now for the last one I'm glad there haven't been any flames on it. Phew. But i gotta say my favorite thing about that chapter...Zeke finally says 'Scare Bleu' just like Lumiere does in the movie. Yeah, didn't exactly make that his catch phrase in this story or else he might be too much like Lumiere. So anyway this chapter is mainly...crazy. I think just pure crazy. We get to see all the enchanted objects in action. But that's probably not gonna be the only action in this story. Now I've got a week before school starts again but I'm gonna be busy at least three days this week so it's gonna be really hard to get this story finished before I'm not gonna rush, I'm just gonna continue making this story something that everyone can enjoy. So now thank you to the last reviewers: Fcktherulesx3, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Actingprincess, and Creativelyyourz. Ironic how whenever I start or am in the middle of writing the next chapter I get a few reviews on the last chapter. lol You guys are good!  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

The mob slowly entered the castle. It was unbelievably quiet. The only light that entered the main room was from the open doors and their torches. Oddly enough, for a castle that was supposed to contain a beast it was perfectly neat. There were no obstacle courses, there was nothing torn to shreds, there was absolutely nothing in sight.... Nothing in sight? Surely it had to be a trap. Before the mob knew it the beast would jump out of nowhere and attack them. That had to be it. All the more reason to be extra cautious. And yet the further they stepped in, the less that torches were moved in a few different directions to see if something really was going on. But all they saw were numerous pieces of furniture up against the walls. Maybe that made it a little crowded, but other than that there was absolutely nothing wrong.

It was quiet. Too quiet. All the more reason for Sharpay to go in last, despite the fact that she would be standing outside in the rain longer. She didn't care; after all her make-up was water poof. But still if there was traps set for the mob, then at least she wouldn't be at risk of getting caught in them. So until the last person was in she waited, and then stepped inside. She left her steed out in the rain and had her sword at hand. If anything, now it was going to be used as a defence mechanism. Sharpay was not that reckless with a weapon. After all, how else would she have taken charge of an angry mob?

One of the mob picked up the candelabra from a nearby desk, unaware that it was no ordinary candelabra. He used it as an extra light source, to get a better view of the area. Yet there was still nothing. It should be safe...right?

"NOW!"

The man holding the candelabra was quite shocked to find it not only moving but talking. He dropped it on the spot and all the lights flashed on in an instant. There were cries and screams as the furniture and all that actually began jumping up and attacking. Zeke was quick enough to slide out of the way while the coat rack jumped out and started using karate movements on the man. The rack landed punch after punch right under the guy's chin like he was a punching bag before kicking him in some place no one enjoys being kicked in.

And it didn't stop there, not a chance. Every enchanted object in the main room was now making their attack on whichever member of the mob was closest to them. A bucket full of water jumped out from the shadows and skidded to a stop, causing the mop inside of it to fly out. And with the mop now in control, it went to the nearest man and swapped it right in the middle of his face, tangling its moppy area into the man's head and hair like it was an octopus with a really long stick attached to its head. While the man stepped forward and tried escaping its clutches one foot ended up stepping into the bucket and sliding across the room. The mop jumped off the guy's face only moments before he came in contact with the wall, his whole body being thrown against it and the bucket hopped away having only lost its handle.

Stuck in between two dressers, completely made of some type of wood such as oak, cherry, or whatever it was, another man raised an axe. It looked like one of the guys who often broke into Sharpay's and Ryan's house to steal some of their pop. He looked at one of the drawers, ready to smash his axe into it but he never got the chance. Simultaneously, both drawers pushed their top ones open and hit the guy's head. It caused him to fall right to the ground with his tongue sticking out and seeing numerous Sebastian the crabs running around his head, a sure sign that he has gone cuckoo. Pure cuckoo, not Troy-esque cuckoo. Those were two completely different types of cuckoo.

One man with incredibly curly hair actually picked up an innocent looking pan and put it on his head like a hat. The next thing he knew, numerous types of silverware were jumping up and banging on the pot like it was a set of drums. It was like the dramatic drum roll leading up to something. But before the last 'dong' could come out, the man was actually able to lift the pot off his head.

"Hey this kinda creeps me out you know!" he gasped.

The pot did nothing and the silverware all exchanged glances. They nodded what would be their heads and the smallest spoon climbed on top of the guy and stared at him before getting up to the pot and giving it that final 'dong'. Then man became very dizzy and very lightheaded.

"You can't do this to me. I am Cor-" And before he could finish his sentence he fell down to the ground. Oh no, he was still alive...just out cold for the time being.

One of the fancy chair charged forward like it was a horse, or perhaps a bull in this case, because the guy it was after was wearing nothing but the color red. Not knowing what hit him, he turned to see that the chair was using what would be its hind legs and kicking him right in the rear. Yelping in pain, he lost his balance and tripped on a rug. The rug then started rolling up with the guy trapped in it and leading into a very big trunk. As soon as the rug - and the guy - were inside the trunk, the trunk snapped its top shut and licked its lips and giving a loud belch. Boy, when that trunk ever does transform back into a human it would be a very complicated sight with the person and the rug both inside of it...they'd probably become a human pretzel!

And the odd battle of human and household items didn't even stop there. Just as a large group of men were rushing into another one of the rooms, the cart with the sugar holder and gravy bowl zoomed right out the doors and ran over the line of men not so much as though they were completely flattened into pieces of cardboard, but more like they were knocked down like a pack of dominoes. As for the sugar holder and the gravy bowl, they let themselves jump off of the cart and the sugar and gravy both objects held inside them poured over the group like a terrible storm of...well, food toppings. Amazing that as that happened the storm outside had ceased to be.

With all the anarchy occurring in the main room as well as the rooms nearby it was amazing that Sharpay was able to dodge everything. No, she didn't put up a fight with them or use her weapon...she didn't even try to kick them with her boots. Avoiding all the chaos and just being able to make it out of the main room in one piece, Sharpay began her excursion of the castle. The only thing she ran into were a couple of feather dusters doing not just the unthinkable but the impossible. Yes, it was true...they were trying to use their dust-covered feather dusting butts - or feet, whatever they preferred them to be called - and wreck Sharpay's hair. Though Sharpay was lucky enough not to get a bad hair day by most of them, she was unlucky enough to get stuck with a couple of feather dusters in her hair. She gasped and struggled to get them off of her, only to succeed moments later and nearly tumble over, able to face herself in a nearby mirror on the wall. She breathed heavily and gasped in horror. Oh, her hair could have been much worse, but Sharpay still despised it. The entire top of it was...sticking up like a Mohawk! It freaked her out just looking at it. Let's just say the feather dusters were lucky no dust of dirt of any sorts did end up in her hair or Sharpay would have let them have it even more.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she gasped, letting out one of her high pitched over-dramatic screams. She spun to the feather dusters and glared at them. "Look...at what...you stupid...little...excuses of cleaning supplies...did...TO MY HAIR!"

The few feather dusters that were unfortunate enough to cause such anger on Sharpay exchanged uneasy glances. The next thing they knew, their bodies met up with a baseball bat and they flew across the hallway and tumbled down the stairs. Yes, Sharpay had come across a baseball bat laying in the middle of the hallway floor for no apparent reason. Scowling, the blond then dropped - or rather, slammed - the bat onto the floor. She looked in numerous directions, knowing that this was of even more utmost importance than locating that son of a Beast.

"Now where is the stinking bathroom around here?" she demanded.

---

Back in the village Kelsi and Ryan were contemplating on what to do. It was even darker and later at night than it was when the angry mob left and from those who had first started off, Ryan and Mademoiselle Kelsi were the only ones remaining. They weren't too far from the farm and where unaware of what was going on, as well as Donny commencing his plan to free Troy and Taylor.

"don't you think Sharpay has gone a little too far this time?" Ryan wondered as he rubbed his chin. "I mean, has she gone too far or is it just my imagination?"

"I may keep myself in the dark room of an asylum doing nothing but looking at crazy people and signing papers all day but even I know what goes on out here." Kelsi replied. "That girl may have a sense of style and is incredibly intimidating but she can be so power hungry."

"You know, I should have known Sharpay was going overboard when she told me to wait outside in the cold for Troy and Taylor to get back." Ryan sighed. "I was hiding myself inside a snowman for at least three hours."

Kelsi raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"

"I have no idea," he shook his head, "I lost count after five minutes." He rubbed his chin a little more, then his eyes widened as he turned his head back to Kelsi and snapped his fingers. "Hey wait a minute, why did you go along with Sharpay on this plan anyway?"

"Well...how was I supposed to know she was going to take it this far?" Kelsi stammered. She did not do well with being intimidated by anyone...even Ryan. The second anyone started blabbing questions to her, her nerves took control. Not her greed, not her fears, but her nerves.

"you were doing it for the money weren't you?" Ryan gasped.

"Partially..." Kelsi admitted.

"Then what about the rest of the partially part?" Ryan asked.

Now normally Mademoiselle Kelsi would either be greedy and lie, doing whatever it takes to get her hands on some money, or she could let her honest side take over and tell the truth unable to think what could come out of a lie. What did you think she would go with this time?

"A date with you..."

"Really?" he blinked.

"Well, yeah. Sharpay told me that was the second half of my payment if I agreed to her demands and threw Troy in my asylum which would then cause Taylor to go into protective mode and feel the need to save her brother, therefore agreeing to Sharpay's terms to run out of town with her brother and ultimately end up starving with Troy in the woods with no hope of rescue." Kelsi replied all in one breath. She did have an impeccable memory. She could remember things people said...even if they were just acting. Plus she had written a few scenes of plays in her spare time. Hey, she needed something to do when everyone in the asylum was sleeping and all her money was counted. Why not get creative and write?

Ryan raised an eyebrow, seeming completely confused. "Wait a minute...you gave in to Sharpay's most selfish demands just to have a chance to go out with me?"

"Yes..." she said quietly.

Ryan shrugged and smiled. "Well sure. I'll go out with you."

Kelsi's eyes lit up and her mouth dropped. Money was the absolute last thing on her mind now. "Really?"

"Sure." Ryan replied. "A guy can get really tired of being surrounded by the same Sharpette kind of girls all day."

And in the middle of their somehow eye to eye conversation, Donny was climbing onto Troy's catapult, trying to figure out how it worked. Ok technically he hopped all around the catapult but that didn't stop him from trying to figure out how it worked. This was so exciting, he was probably going to watch something fly through the air and crash into something! Getting into what looked like the giant spoon portion of the catapult, Donny looked all around confused. What was this part for? Why was everything made of wood? Was this thing going to explode? turning to a lever, his eyes lightened up with anticipation and curiosity.

"hey what's this thing do?"

Managing to use his handle to pull the lever, the catapult launched and Donny soared through the air.

Ryan raised an eyebrow, hearing the launch of the catapult. "Hey did you hear something?" he asked Kelsi.

At the same time, Taylor raised an eyebrow in the basement. She was temporarily distracted from her thoughts, knowing she heard a 'swish' of some kind. Turning to her brother, she knew this had to point to him somehow.

"Did you hear something Troy?"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "Like what?"

The next thing they knew, Donny came crashing through the basement doors. He spun around on the floor looking all dizzy but he didn't look hurt in the least. As a matter of fact, he had a huge smile on his face.

"Hey that was fun!" he exclaimed with a wide smile. "Can we do it again?"

"Donny what did you do?" Taylor gasped knowing it couldn't be good.

"You gotta try that sometime." Donny replied. "If you believe you can fly, you really can. I believe I can fly!"

Troy just blinked. "I think he hit his head too hard."

Taylor rolled her eyes at her brother. As creative and imaginative as she knew Troy was, she knew that his wide variety of humor, invention, and imagination had something to do with being dropped on his own head when he was younger.

Going up the stairs, Troy pushed his hand through the hole in the doors Donny made and reached one of the handles, able to open it. Within seconds, he, Taylor, and Donny were out of the basement and back outside. The three of them stopped to see that now, almost right in front of the doors, stood Kelsi and Ryan. And it shocked them. What were those two still doing here? Troy stared blankly at the two and Taylor's eyes widened. Donny, on the other hand, just looked at them with pure confusion.

"What are you two still doing here?" Taylor asked, being the first to speak up. "The mob...Sharpay...why aren't you both with her?"

"We didn't go with her." Kelsi replied. "She already led the mob towards the castle. Neither of us went with them."

"Ok what am I missing here?" Troy asked.

"Less talking, more moving." Taylor said as she pulled Jimmie out and got on his saddle. "I don't know about you guys but I'm going to the castle. My friends need help."

Kelsi raised an eyebrow. "Your friends? The Beast in there..."

"The Beast is my friend. I'm not letting anything happen to him." Taylor replied. "Are you guys coming or not?"

"You know Taylor I don't really approve of this..." Troy started, but stopped in mid sentence when he saw the look his sister was giving him. "But I don't think we can get there fast enough. Let's move now." he added quickly as he hopped onto Jimmie.

"If it's not too late maybe we can stop the mob. I'll get a horse and follow you." Kelsi said. "The asylum can survive without me for a while."

"What about you, Ryan?" Taylor asked, though she really didn't want to wait another minute.

"If Kelsi's going then I'm going." Ryan said. He and Kelsi then turned bright red and Ryan tried as fast as he could to change his wording. "I mean, I gotta get away from the Sharpettes. I mean I need a new hat. I mean..."

"You're going after your sister?" Taylor finished as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Yes." Ryan squeaked. He snapped his fingers, then held up one finger. "Just one more thing."

"you're gonna stop dressing in so much pink?" Donny exclaimed.

Ryan blinked. "No..." he replied slowly. "If you guys needed to get out of the basement, you could have just told us."

---

Back at the castle, the battles raged on. Now in the kitchen, the men that ran in there were having numerous problems with what awaited them inside. The butcher from town was able to get in first, but only to come in contact with a long line of jugs on the counter. Each one had a ripe tomato - or in some cases, rotten - in their covers and as soon as the butcher looked at the group they launched the tomatoes right in his face. The butcher gasped and fell back, unaware that in one of the shelves almost directly above him awaited Gabriella and numerous tea cups. When he looked up there were exactly five of them accompanying her.

"you're going to get it now for invading our castle!" Gabriella exclaimed. "You...you..." she seemed to be having problems with her wording.

One of the tea cups next to Gabriella turned to her. "Say it..."

Gabriella turned to the tea cup. "I don't know, Rocketman. It sounds so inappropriate." she said uneasily.

"You know you want to!" he urged.

"Skunk bag!" Gabriella yelled.

The tea cups cheered before they as well as Gabriella poured the hot drinks out of them and spilled them all over the butcher down below.

As more of the mob attempted to reach the kitchen they looked up to see a screaming wardrobe jumping off the side of the staircase and body slamming right on top of them. Of course, it was none other than Martha to stop them from using such dangerous tools and causing any harm to come to her friends. Slamming into him and nearly breaking the floor beneath, Martha's eyes widened with surprise. Not because she was fighting instead of dancing.

"I just found out the perks of having a huge body!" she exclaimed.

And before she could say anything else, two more men came charging at her, one at each side. Martha gasped, but used her fast reflexes and skills as a dancer to dodge them. Not only that, but when they tried coming at her again she got to use her wardrobe doors as arms and stop them from trying to hit her again. They really did work that way! And the other enchanted objects said it wasn't possible to have doors for arms. In their faces...if it was any other time. One more guy came at her, but from inside her wardrobe doors appeared a brush and perfume bottle, both of which jumped right in his face. The guy gasped and actually jumped into the wardrobe. Martha yelped in surprised and closed the doors, with the accessories and clothes she had inside practically putting up a fight against the mad man. As soon as he came tumbling out of her, he screamed in horror to find himself in a coconut bra and hula skirt and a fruit hat, dressed like he was about to dance in a conga line.

"I've got you now." the book keeper smirked as he cornered Zeke, with his torch brighter than ever. "Pay back time for tricking me like that thinking you were just another candle stick before!"

He held the torch closer and closer to Zeke with no escape. Zeke gasped, already feeling his wax melting. Fire could be a candle's greatest asset, but it could also be its greatest weakness. And while Zeke used the fire on his candles all for fun and games, and for defence when necessary, the fire he was now up against was for the sole purpose of destroying him. And honestly, it scared Zeke. He had never been in such a horrible predicament before.

But moments later, at the top of the staircase Jason appeared in what looked like a small yet heavy suit of armor. He laughed and put his hands on his hips. "Hahaha! It's the return of Overprotective Worry-wart Jason Dude!" he exclaimed as he then pulled out a thin tree branch from what would be a sword holder. "And his trust weapon, Stick Man!" Yes, this is the so-called protective suit that Jason had used the first year everyone had become enchanted objects. He had been so afraid back then...until he realized practically nothing could hurt him. But now he was using his goofy fears for the powers of good. Laughing once more, Jason jumped onto the banister and slid down it, pointing his tree branch outwards. Yes, he actually had a tree branch waiting with his suit this whole time. Whatever you do, don't ask.

Zeke quivered with fear as the torch was practically right on top of him, and his wax melting faster than ever. The book keeper was right on top of him so Zeke couldn't see what was happening.

Jason slid down the banister and aimed his stick right at the book keeper, which ultimately poked him right where it hurt in the butt when Jason landed. The book keeper jumped and dropped his torch, screaming in fear. But no, the torch didn't start lighting the whole castle on fire. What had happened instead was the book keeper fell on top of the torch and he screamed in more pain, running out of the castle and his hands over his heated bottom. Jason smirked and he pulled off his armor and threw it over what was left of the torch, somehow able to use it to put out the last of the fire before it could do anything to the castle.

Zeke didn't even get the chance to thank Jason right away. The first thing he saw once the coast was clear for him was a silly looking buff guy ripping out the hairs of Tiara's feathers. Yes, the feathers on her feather duster. Where the dirt and such was. He was ripping them out. Zeke gasped, wondering how he could be so disrespectful of a lady. Well like Zeke said, he hadn't been completely serious about only liking Tiara for her looks and being English. He knew how to treat a lady...as long as it didn't get her mad at him. And most certainly, the way this man was ripping at her hairs was not the way to treat her. It was time to use more fire power. Being back at top strength, Zeke lit the fires on his candles once again and hopped over to the man. Standing right under his bottom, Zeke blew hard and ignited the fire on his top candle. Much like the book keeper's reaction, the crazy buff guy jumped and screamed in pain before grabbing his butt where it hurt and trying his best to run out of the castle. He even threw Tiara up in the air as he ran, but luckily Zeke had anticipated that. He smiled and held his arms out, making a perfect catch for the little lady in his arms.

"Ooooh, my hero!" Tiara gasped.

Boi was now having issues of his own. Barking wildly, he was leading a small group of the mob around the castle, or at least the lower half of it. But this group was trying to respect the classic chase scenes and do it right. Half way through the chase, they stopped for a moment to take a breather and Boi looked at them wagging his tail, almost as if he were patiently waiting and expecting them to come at him again. They chased after Boi with their pitch forks as soon as they were done resting and Boi was on the run again. It went on like that for a good two or three more stops before Boi led them through a few big sliding doors. When the men entered they saw Boi cornered, or at least that's what they thought. They just smirked as Boi barked and seemingly holding what looked like a doggy dish in...wherever his mouth was. They laughed and slowly approached the barking footstool. But they didn't get much further than a few steps. Right above Boi, numerous cabinets opened and sharp knives revealed themselves which was the first of the boys' worries. In the cabinets above them swung out china plates ready to throw themselves at the men like Frisbees. Boi had led them through some other doors right into the very back corner of the kitchen! And then, when they turned to the other side they could see Jack the stove up against the wall with his fire ignited at its highest level and a creepy laugh escaping him. They gasped and were almost ready to run, but not before they witnessed one more thing that would completely freak them out.

Managing to step slowly towards them, Jack waited until he was almost right in their faces, his oven fire lighting up his face like he was telling a tall ghost tale. Then, he spoke in his deepest possible voice, "Boo."

The men screamed at an instant, yes like little girls for the extra humor, and ran out the kitchen.

Jack just laughed for a few moments, before turning to Boi. "Was it something I said?"

The men raced out of the castle, followed by the remainder of the mob. Some were running, some were waddling from the pain, some were falling down the stairs, others...well others were actually crawling out. Yes, that's how scared they were of fighting a bunch of enchanted objects. Let's just say after everything they saw in that castle they would probably never look at a clock, wardrobe, chair, stove, tea pot, tea cups, candelabra, brush, clothes, rug, or chest the same way ever again. Yes, pretty much everything they fought in there has scarred them for life...or at least a couple of nights for the nightmares to remind them of the fight they had just put up.

The enchanted objects, however, saw it from a completely different point of view. They were all now gathered in the main room cheering. Boi was running around in circles quite eagerly, though he still had his doggy dish waiting at his side. Martha was jumping up and down and even shaking what would be her hips like she was doing a victory dance. The chair and chest were jumping, and the coat rack was just clapping like it was still a sophisticated costume designer. Gabriella was laughing and the tea cups were exchanging high fives with their cup handles. Even Tiara was shaking her hips and looking happier than ever. Yes, they had won the battle!

"And stay outta here!" Jason declared from the top of the staircase, with Zeke waving his arms in victory as well. "Or you'll all have to deal with me and my stick again!"

"And in the spirit of France, I will thank you for helping to save us and me from the angry mob just like any other civilized French man would do!" Zeke declared happily to his friend.

"Wait, what are you...?" Jason started. But he was cut off when Zeke gave him a peck on each of his cheeks. Jason made a face and gently slapped Zeke on his own cheek. "You know things about your own country from watching television!" he exclaimed.

Zeke shrugged his shoulders. "So?"

Now how could Jason ever counter that? "So.... Have you ever heard of personal space?"

But in all of their goofing off and celebration, even while Taylor rushed with Jimmie, Troy, Donny, Kelsi, and Ryan through the woods and towards the castle as fast as they possible could, Sharpay was already well back on her way through the castle and that much closer to meeting the Beast. And settling all this once and for all.

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I'm sorry to say that there is no picture this update. Technically speaking the picture that should be up now is Chad in Beast form. I'm debating if I should draw him and get him up in the next chapter which will hopefully be before school starts. Because like I said I don't want to rush anything. As much as I would have loved to be doing the last chapter by now it's not possible to finish them all before school. But it's more important to get a story up that you guys like than a sloppy one. But if I do have any chances I will write chapters in between classes and get them up ASAP after that. I will not ask anymore questions about this story because I think pretty much everyone has spoken their opinions about my questions so to all who have answered and voiced those opinions I say thank you and in the chapters where they do come up you will see the results...besides I know I'm not the only one starting school so it would be kinda rude to give you more stuff to think about. XD The one thing I do ask, if it's not too much trouble, to please cast a vote in my poll so I know what story to start next as there is a tie and I don't know if I should try and write both stories at once. But the poll will be closed come this weekend. And for everyone else interested in the world of fan-fiction writing...you know what i mean...there is a sight called fanbbs(dot)net. Now, quick review on this chapter. lol first off I actually had fun writing this chapter especially because some parts of this fight scene were very entertaining so that was my goal as well. I wanted the fight between the mob and the enchanted objects to be as fun and entertaining as it could while sticking to the movie. So overall that was the, at least for now, last scene more or less copied from the movie. I may have added a few things in there. Take Sharpay and the feather dusters, for instance. I didn't put that in there to make Sharpay look bad by any means necessary. I wanted it to be more like an "Oh my God that is so a Sharpay moment" moment. Like I wanted people to really think of Sharpay and her reaction when that happened. And yes, I did give one of the tea cups the alias "Rocketman" because even though Jimmie is the horse he didn't get to say anything. And let's be honest, what the rocketman tea cup said had to have sounded even a little something like what Jimmie really would say. As for Ryan and Kelsi, those two have a naturally easy time talking to each other so that was the vibe I wanted to give with them in this chapter. And before you guys ask, I will say it now and I will say it at the end of the story: **no animals, enchanted objects, or humans were harmed in the writing of this story**. And yes, Jason had to be there for comic relief, not to be any kind of copycat or something similar to Cogsworth in that scene, but all for humor. And with Zeke and Jason at the end, I thought it would be a semi funny way to end the chapter. Lumiere does do the double cheek peck thing to Cogsworth at the end of the battle so I had to put something like that in here...and to gross Jason out for no reason and picture his reaction. lol And last but not least, the part where that one guy fell out cold and saw Sebastian the crab running around his head instead of like a rubber duck swimming around his head...you know when someone gets knocked out and they fall, they see things going over and around their head...I thought it'd be kinda funny to put Sebastian the crab in there. Who doesn't love Sebastian? It may be the wrong movie but come on, let's fade out and sing his song together! Under the sea, under the sea....


	20. Chapter 19

Sorry that this chapter was unable to get up before summer ends...for me at least. If you're reading it and haven't started school yet then lucky you. ^^ But i did start this on my last day of summer and was writing part by part the first couple days of school. I'm not really gonna know when the next update will be after this. I know I'll have Labor Day off, so hopefully sometime between this week and then there will be an I am glad that everyone who reviewed the last chapter enjoyed it. ^^ I really wish that this chapter could be just as enjoyable but this is where it gets serious so it's going to be really hard to get any laughs in the chapter...unless they're unintended or they went in there without me knowing. So now I would like to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, and this will probably be the last time before the final chapter thanking everyone at once instead of individually by chapters. So thank you loads to: Corbinsbabygrl1, Rockyshadow, Fcktherulesx3, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, Digigirl02, RamandusDaughter23, MermaidRam85, xXMXx, Ryle, HSM, Actingprincess, Coornique chaylor girl, Mxwendy85, Seabreezylady18, Anothersmallperson, Hsm3, Creativelyyourz, Troyellaluver, and VaanarsRule. Here now is the chapter and I really hope it does not disappoint! C=  
Disclaimer: If i owned something I'd be a millionaire...which I'm not.

* * *

Sharpay continued searching through what felt like a never ending castle for the Beast. After leaving the bathroom she had miraculously found, Sharpay had begun bursting open every door she could find. If a door was locked then she'd merely use her sword to open it. That is, until it got stuck in one of the doors. To put it simply, the crack between the doorway and the wall was just thin enough for her sword to fit through; when Sharpay had attempted to open one of the doors that way her sword went through and was now jammed in there. And that could only mean one thing. No, it wasn't that Sharpay had been stripped of all her upper body strength, and no it didn't mean she was as weak as they came. It meant that she would have to go ahead on her own without any way of protection, defense, offence, etc. And it wasn't even her sword to begin with, it had been one of the villager's swords. But surely enough, the safety of one mere weapon would be the last thing on anyone's mind.

Sharpay scowled at the sword and just kicked it, getting it stuck in the door even more. Yes, real brilliant. But that was just Sharpay for she got that angry she would just do one minor thing recklessly. That happened to be the one thing. But she couldn't get distracted with that now. She had other business to take care of. The castle was huge and probably had a ton of more rooms she'd have to go through. And she was not going to rest until she found the Beast. Continuing her excursion of the castle once again, Sharpay peaked through plenty of doors and climbed numerous staircases. This castle had been even bigger than she anticipated. When she even got to a certain point, everything was quiet. There were no more sounds of what was the battle downstairs. There was no more screaming or any other actions of the sort. But that was the least of her worries. Who cared about how many enchanted objects there were in the castle? Who cared if they were all on a rampage fighting the villagers? Not Sharpay.

Finally, she found herself not too far from the West Wing. She was walking past the steps that led up to there. And as she walked by in what was now a casual manner, sure enough that she had nothing to worry about at this point, Sharpay couldn't help but look up the staircase and quirk an eyebrow. It seemed so dark and deserted. And from what she knew that meant two things - that it was the dustiest and most unkempt place in the castle, and that there had to be something up there. Certain that it was what she was looking for, the blond began to climb up the stairs. She was beginning to see all the same things that Taylor saw when she had ventured up there. Barely anything had changed. And even though Sharpay knew she had been to this castle once before, something was just telling her that it was so different. Why else would she have not known where to go? Yes, she knew exactly where she was going now. sharpay was sure of it - she knew this place. She knew the direction she was going in. She knew this room. And yet, despite the mess and the dust it did not stop her from going on ahead. Nor did the wildcat-like doorknobs scare her off. Sharpay was still going for it. She could just feel something pulling her into the West Wing.

And surely enough, as soon as she stepped through the doors, she found what she was looking for. There he was, sitting in the darkness of the room just staring outside at the storm. Even if she was just looking at his back Sharpay still knew dang well what she was looking at. It was the Beast. And despite his huge looks and how hideous he must look from the front side, Sharpay was not worried. She didn't even look the least bit scared. All she did was smirk. Everything was going exactly according to plan. And now the Beast will pay for what he did to her. And what was that, you ask? Let's just say the truth will out soon enough.

Sharpay smirked and folded her arms, lightly tapping her foot against what felt like to her such a decrepit floor. "Hello Beast."

The Beast turned his head slightly in Sharpay's direction. He did not recognize the voice and quite frankly, he didn't care at this point. It wasn't who he was hoping for and it wasn't who he wanted. He looked at the blond woman for a few seconds before sighing and turning his head back towards what was now a window, the one thing that had been added to the West Wing. He was no longer staring outside and letting the heavy snow or raindrops cascade into his territory; he was now just staring out a large piece of glass outside as though he were a loyal puppy waiting for his own master to return.

But Sharpay took to this differently. Oddly enough she wasn't demanding his attention. In fact, part of her had been expecting this. If he wasn't going to willingly give his attention to her, then Sharpay would merely have to get his attention herself. On her own terms.

"Or should I say, 'hello prince'."

The Beast's head shot up at an instant. He didn't once take his eyes away from the window but he had heard the girl loud and clear. It was something he had never expected to hear. His tight curly fur almost seemed to loosen uncontrollably at her words, he gritted his teeth involuntarily at the response, and his disproportionate ears even twitched slightly as if to make sure they heard her correctly.

"What did you call me?" he asked quietly, but still in a cold voice.

Sharpay's smirk remained glued to her face. Now they were getting somewhere. But what fun would it be just to jump into an explanation? After all, they weren't in the village anymore. Perhaps it was time to bend the rules a little. Or secretly stick to her own. Only one way to find out what she was planning.

"Did you do something different with this place? I don't remember you having such ugly curtains hanging around." she stated, merely holding as little of one of the torn curtains as she could. Yes - Sharpay was going to beat around the bush. The Beast was the one who wanted answers now and she wasn't going to give them easily. She'd been kept waiting for her own answers all these years. So now it was payback time.

The Beast didn't take well to this. "What did you call me?" he repeated, his voice only rising slightly.

Yet she continued to stall. "My, my, my, you have let your quarters go. You really should hire a better cleaning service. You know, I did mention the last time I came here that you could use better maids, not those scrappy liars like what's-her-face from who-knows-where."

The Beast now turned to face her fully. His mind was temporarily off of his own problems. As heavy as his heart still was, he wasn't going to stand around and listen to some chick talk nonsense. He wanted to know what her angle was and what she was doing here. And more importantly, what kind of authority she had to question him and to go making accusations about his life...even if they were true.

"I will ask you again. What did you call me?" he demanded.

Aw, he was getting more than annoyed now. Sharpay would have to fix that...or not. She faced him and pointed to the window. "Now when did you get that put up in here? You know, I did tell you there was a slight breeze in here the last time I was around."

"It was a recent installation." he muttered.

Sharpay gasped sarcastically. "No, is it?"

"Yes. I had it put in about a week ago..." he started. Wait a minute, why was he wasting his time with this girl? Why was any of this her business? "What did you call me?" he questioned again, somehow managing to get back on track.

"Oh, not in much of a talking mood I see." Sharpay replied innocently. "Such a pity, actually. I was hoping for us to get reacquainted after all this time."

"What are you talking about?" the Beast hissed. "I've never seen you before."

"You'd like to think that wouldn't you?" Sharpay replied as she folded her arms. There was no more thinking. No more description of her thoughts. This was all pure dialogue now. Just the mere exchange of words between the two characters.

"You're not making any sense." he replied.

"Oh I'm sorry." Sharpay said innocently. "How about I try to make some sense for a monster like yourself to understand? I was one of the many girls you so rudely turned down."

"What?" he replied.

"So you don't remember? You don't remember how I came all this way with numerous other girls to win your heart and become your princess?" she interrogated, beginning to walk in circles around him. "Ok well I do understand how you were able to turn down all those other girls so easily. There was nothing special about them. But how could you turn down me? Me of all people? I'm one of the richest and most powerful people in the village. I am the most fashionable girl in that place there is. And I am the most gorgeous of them all. How could you turn down someone like me?"

"Why should I ever choose someone as selfish as you to be my princess?" the Beast scowled.

"Oh, you're calling me selfish?" she scoffed. "Think again, Beast. You're the one who's selfish! Getting everything handed to you on a silver platter. Being born into royalty and living in a castle ruling the whole land. Being able to do what you want when you want. Who could be prettier than me for you? Don't you get it, Beast? We are perfect for each other! We were made for each other!"

As Sharpay spoke lightning struck in the sky and thunder roared. It was clear that the storm was as harsh as her anger. And it wasn't about to slow down any time soon.

But the Beast wasn't going to sit around and listen to Sharpay yakking away. The answer to her original question was simple: he didn't love her. Maybe back then all he wanted was a pretty face. No, just a little more than that. Someone who could listen to him and take orders like a servant. That was the world he was raised in. He was born a spoiled prince, so he grew up a spoiled prince. It was that simple. None of the girls he ever saw in that world amused him. He was never attracted to any of them. Yes...yes, part of his memory was coming back now. It was even beginning to get to a point where he was reliving his childhood in his mind. The way everything looked to him was just as it all looked now. Bleak. Dark. Stormy. Cold. Lifeless.

One would think that most princes would be betrothed to a princess at a young age, or at least be set up with someone by their parents while growing up. But it was never like that for the Beast. He recalled as a teenager being told that the time would come where he would have to choose a suitable woman to rule the kingdom with him. His father had said that when he died it would be the time for the prince to marry - or at least meet someone. after all what good was a prince to rule the kingdom as a king when there was no queen by his side? As a result, numerous of his servants got together and called forth the best women from the land. All he would have to do was choose one of them.

That must have been where this blond girl came in. She had to have been one of the angry girls he had turned down. If anything good came out of that, the Beast could see now how he could have never chosen someone like that. She was just like him when he was younger...only more feminine and girlie-like. Something along those lines. But unfortunately, nothing came to mind exactly about that day. It was all a blur to him. Because the next big part of his memory that came after that was the curse.

_It was a dark and stormy night. Rain came pouring down and there was a cold breeze from outside. Servants were instructed to slam the doors shut so there wouldn't be a single breeze entering the castle. It must have been around the winter time, considering how cold it was and the fact that the entire castle was preparing for the holidays. Yes, all the holidays that were involved with the winter time. Or maybe it was Thanksgiving. Jack had been preparing turkey in the kitchen with Zeke supervising and helping around. It was most easy to remember the expression on Jack's face, most likely depression from the fact that no one wanted his steaks for that day. No, turkeys weren't good enough for him. Lousy gobbling birds, Jack would normally say. That was besides the point._

_Jason had been busy instructing everyone with the decorations in preparation for the holiday(s)...and failing at that. The poor guy had no eye for color. He kept putting yellow and purple together. And it wasn't just that they had nothing to do with the color scheme, but they completely clashed with each other. Really, what holidays did have yellow and purple together anyway? While Jason was hard at work with that, Martha was putting together some music. It was the one thing that the Beast had approved of at the time. Even he knew that working in silence was rather boring. That's why whenever he had something important to take care of, even something as of little importance as signing a few papers, he had to have someone playing music or singing for him. He just couldn't focus in the quiet like that._

_The Beast, at that time The Prince, had been observing everything from his throne. Yes his gold throne. How he was a fan of gold. And blue. And red. Sometimes green if it wasn't a really bright shade of green or a green mixed with a yellow.... That's all besides the point. Anyway, as he sat on his throne, Gabriella approached him with Donny who back then was much more child-like._

_"What do you want?" The Prince demanded as they approached him. "Can't you see I'm busy?"_

_"I'm awfully sorry for the interruption, master." Gabriella apologized. Back then all she had been was sweet and sugary. It seemed so much harder for her to develop a backbone; that came after the transformation. Much like with Jason's newfound clumsiness. "But there is someone at the door asking for you."_

_"Well, tell them to leave." the Prince insisted. "There's too much work to be done around here!"_

_"But she's not goin away." Donny shook his head. "And she's really creepy too."_

_"Did I say you could speak?" he argued._

_"Sowwy mastew." Donny apologized in a babyish voice._

_Now that was probably the only other thing that worked on the Prince. But it usually only worked with the youngest members of the castle. at least he wasn't completely heartless._

_"Never mind. I'll shoo her away myself." the Prince replied as he stormed down the stairs of his throne and over to the front door. He opened the large doors only to see an old woman standing in the rain. She had nothing but a large jacket on and a hood over her head. And even in the darkness of her cloak as well as the dark and stormy sky he could easily make out her face. It was pale and wrinkly, covered in warts and moles and such. And her hands, sticking out of the over sized sleeves, were thin and even more wrinkly if it were at all possible. One look at her and the Prince was easily disgusted with her._

_"Didn't you hear my servants? they said to get out."_

_"I'm sorry to disturb you at this late hour," the beggar woman apologized, "but it's awfully horrid out here. I need a place to stay just for the night. Until the storm passes."_

_"And why should I let someone like you into my castle?" he questioned._

_It was then that the woman held up a glowing rose. Even in the thunderstorm it glistened ever so brightly, though it was clearly not in full bloom yet._

_"If you let me in I will give you this rose, sir. It's all I have to offer."_

_The young man scoffed at her. "an ugly, useless old woman with something just as useless to offer. There's no place in my castle for you. Be gone!" Wit that he slammed the doors right in her face. The Prince then began storming over to his servants and continue supervising all the action that was occurring in the main room. But he didn't get a chance to go very far. Seconds after he slammed the front doors, they curst open again and an even powerful breeze rushed in. It disturbed the workers and their attention was drawn the beggar woman, who was now floating in midair. The Prince turned and looked at her, shocked by this power she seemed to obtain from out of nowhere. Then, before his very eyes and in a bright flash of light, the beggar woman transformed into a beautiful enchantress. The Prince's mouth dropped in surprise at her appearance. Even the main group of the castle, Zeke, Jason, Gabriella, and Donny, got together to observe this and looked just as much in shock. Everyone else in the castle who had a view of the scene just froze in their place, eyes widened and mouths dropped open._

_"You have been decieved by your own cold heart." the enchantress spoke, eyes straight on the prince as if she were staring into his very soul. "A curse upon your house and all who live in it. Until you have found one to love you as you are, you shall remain forever a Beast."_

_And with that numerous sparks of light began floating throughout the castle. Those who did not see what was going on would not have known what occurred, except for that the next thing they knew they had transformed. It was at that moment that everyone became the enchanted objects. Zeke's body became skinnier and his arms much more flabby; he could feel his head thinning and shrinking before collapsing down to the ground and rubbing his head only to see that his hands have been replaced with candles, and just moments later was able to see that the rest of his body was a candelabra. Jason felt as though he were becoming bloated when as a matter of fact he was growing smaller and his body transforming into more of a square shape; unaware at that moment that he had turned into a clock, as Jason tried to get to his feet he merely ended up stumbling down at his now fattened legs. All Gabriella felt was a bloating feeling as her body fattened and her nose grew, but rather upwards instead of outwards; slipping onto the floor she felt completely useless as she was now lacking in arms and legs. All Donny could tell that he was shrinking while everything else became bigger; he suddenly felt the urge to name round things, as becoming a teacup nearly every part of his body had some sort of round aspect to it._

_As for the the Prince, the flickering lights completely surrounded him. The hair that was already on his body naturally began spreading and growing uncontrollable. His legs painfully shifted into what felt more like hind legs and his arms fattened with more hair and muscles. His fingernails grew long until they were nothing but sharp darkened claws. His jaw spread out and became part of a snout as even more hair grew around his body and his teeth shifted into hideous fangs. The curly hair on his head suddenly surrounded his entire face leaving only his eyes visible; that hair spread as his face shifted in structure until it completely blended in him and had become actual fur. And lastly, as his clothes ripped, unable to fit his much larger body, a furry tail grew painfully from his behind and spread around his legs. The last thing that was heard was not one mighty roar, not two from the pain and horror of the transformation, but a full three. That was when he truly became a monster._

Once the Beast snapped out of his flashback he could see the blond still standing there in his territory just staring at him. Her glare was icy and her arms were folded. She didn't even pay attention to his now heavy breathing or the slight sweat that he felt dripping down his face. All she wanted were answers. And from that girl's point of view, she wasn't getting any. So surely enough, she wouldn't leave until she got some.

"You don't remember anything do you?" she demanded.

No, that wasn't entirely true. The Beast did remember. He remembered the way he was brought up and what shame his life had brought him. He remembered everything that he and his servants had to go through not just by living with him, but by dealing with their current situation. But he didn't remember the exact story behind this girl. The only thing he knew for sure was that she was one of the women who had attempted, how would one say it, to hook up with him. All the Beast could do in response was turn his head away from her as his crestfallen expression returned. It had now completely dawned on him that they were never getting out of this mess. That the castle and everyone living in it would be under the curse forever because of him. But what might have been the worse part of it was that was that this woman would be the last person he would see, hear, or speak to, as the Beast was fully aware of the rose's approaching death. He knew there were a few mere petals left on it and this girl was going to make it worse for him. No, not because she was there demanding answers from him as the prince, but because she could never understand what was going on. And she was most certainly not any kind of person that he would want to spend any last minutes with, whether it be the minutes of hopelessly hoping to become human again before everything becoming permanent or the last minutes of life.

Sharpay scowled. This certainly wasn't going according to plan. There was only one thing to do now. "Well then I'll just have to refresh your memory!" she raised her voice, nothing but anger in her eyes. And she wasn't going to skip out on a single detail. Oh, no. she was going to give him the entire story.

_It was shortly after Sharpay and Ryan had gone their separate ways. Sharpay was anxiously awaiting her turn with the prince. She was sure that all of this was in the bag. If she could win him over with her charm and charisma hen she would most certainly become his queen. Princess Sharpay. Now that certainly had a nice ring to it. Queen Sharpay...even better._

_As soon as she was given the signal to enter his quarters, Sharpay did just that. Yes at the time he still resided in the West Wing. There was no way this ws all going to be held in the main room for some kind of audience. But even if she had heard massive yelling, Sharpay would certainly not be scared off. This was her chance to become royalty. And this castle of the prince's could most certainly use a tidying up. Sharpay took one look at the girl who gave her access to the West Wing. Looking all smiling and happy. Pheh. Whatever her job was, she was sure the girl was doing a lousy job of it. sharpay looked at the girl for all of five seconds and she already disliked her. But that was of little importance. What mattered now was getting the prince to agree to marry her. But even in the brightness of day the West Wing appeared dark. A tad neater than it would eventually become, but still dark. As a result, sharpay could not get a good look at the prince's face. But she distinctly remembered a few features of his._

_His body sturcture. He stood tall and almost dignified. Sharpay could see the muscles he possessed and assumed he was definitely a strong person. Not too lanky, thin, or fat. An overall decent body structure. Most certainly worthy of the title 'prince' with that alone._

_His hair. Even in a shadow she could see the curls poof out as they did so. With only a thin layer of light was Sharpay able to determine that his locks were some shade of brown. Or brunette. Whatever the right term was. And while it was slightly distracting, it couldn't have made him any less attractive._

_His eyes. Last but not least. Even in the darkest of shadows their brown shade just seemed to stick out. It didn't even matter what emotion they were full of, if any. All that mattered was that they were brown and purely it meant that the rest of his face had to be just as good looking as those eyes._

_Deciding to put on her first best impression, Sharpay smiled sweetly and gave her usual curtsy. Yes, that was the proper way to greet anyone of authority. Men bowed and women curtsied. So old-fashioned they were._

_"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Sharpay and it gives me great pleasure just to be in your presence, Prince Ch-"_

_But before she could finish, he held up a hand and cut her off. "That's 'Master' or 'Sir' to you. I'll even accept 'your highness'."_

_Sharpay scoffed. She couldn't help it, it was a natural reaction to an attitude like that. "What, no 'your majesty'?"_

_"That was my father." he replied coldly. "You do not call me by my first name, understand?"_

_Sharpay would have loved to debate over that. After all, she was never one to back down from a good argument. If someone told Sharpay that she was wrong then she would argue to the death to prove that she was right. But unfortunately, now was not the time to do so. What she had to focus on was getting this chance. Just by being princess...why, think of all the things she could do! She could change the world!_

_"Of course, sir." Sharpay responded. "Now if I may..."_

_"No you may not." he interrupted. "I've had a long day of talking to these girls so I want to make this quick. The sooner I meet someone the quicker we can all get on with our lives. I'm a very busy man."_

_What Sharpay would have loved to say is, 'you're a very stupid man' or something along those lines. But she refrained herself from doing so, knowing it would cost her this chance._

_"My brother and I have traveled from the village. Everyone knows of this castle and what great political power resides within these walls, sir." she started. "But few have ever dared to see it for themselves. so I traveled here with my brother to see this power for myself. And I want to be a part of it. I want to give the people someone who would be perfect as ruler of a kingdom. I want to get out of that village and start the lief that I deserve. No...that everyone deserves to have."_

_Alright now maybe some of that was being a tad dramatic...but it is Sharpay. And hey, anything to win the prince over. He almost seemed interested in her, though his tone didn't prove it._

_"So why should I let you be mine? Why should I have my time bothered by you for the rest of my life?" he questioned._

_"Because deep down, I'm royalty." Sharpay stated simply. "My father is one of the richest men in all of this small town of France. And he started out by working in this very castle. He was the royal adviser of the king. Your father."_

_It was difficult to see the Prince's facial reaction, but his voice didn't sound thrilled at the memory. "Ah, yes. The man who turned his back on this castle and all who relied on him."_

_How dare anyone talk about her father that way! "He had better plans. Bigger dreams ahead. He got his start here and this was one of the very things that made him the man he was today. If he left this castle for no other reason, it was for my mother."_

_It was the Prince's turn to scoff. "So he left for a peasant woman?"_

_Now Sharpay was going to put up a fight. And she didn't care who it was with. "He fell in love!"_

_"There is no such thing as love!" the Prince fought. "The only thing in this world that even matters is yourself. And in my life, I'm all that matters. Because in this kingdom it is a prince's job to rule the land. But according to my father, the job of a king is a two-way street. He needs a woman by his side. And for what? They can't help with war. They don't know how to rule a kingdom! And who is it that does most of the work if not all? Not the Queen, but the King."_

_"So that's all we're here for? Just to be your eye candy?" Sharpay demanded. "Well I will not be treated to or spoken to that way. You, SIR, have just cost yourself the perfect woman for the job."_

_"Then get out of my castle!" the Prince bellowed._

_"Oh I'll not only get out of your castle, but I'll leave and never come back." Sharpay yelled. "I swear on my brother's grave that one day, if I ever do return, then this castle and your kingdom will be mine!" And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the West Wing. Sharpay pushed open the doors and made her way angrily down to the main room, removing anyone who got in her way. And as soon as she reached the first floor she easily came across her brother, who had no choice but to follow her._

_"Wait...did you say my grave?" Ryan gasped as he followed his sister out. "But I'm not dead yet!"_

Sharpay merely glared at the Beast as she finished her story. Yes, that's all exactly what happened. Despite whatever tale she fed to her comrades back in the village, that story was the whole truth. And why wouldn't she lie about the whole story? Sharpay didn't want to come out seeming like the bad guy...even if she sort of did serve as an antagonist. And she certainly didn't want to make people think the prince turned her down. But really, she turned him down. But word of that could never get out. Her reputation would be ruined. And because of that day, Sharpay vowed revenge on the prince. For the way he treated her and for the way his father treated hers. Because, even if Sharpay didn't know the entire story...or if she just heard it one-sided from her father's point of view and therefore making it biased...she was still sure that the previous ruler had treated her father with as much respect as the prince had given her. Sharpay deserved that throne and her family deserved the castle. She was merely taking what was rightfully hers.

But the Beast saw it completely differently. He didn't want to think about that day anymore, remembering how he acted. It was bad enough that he knew he had grown up his whole life being that cold. That was exactly why he was transformed into this hideous monster. He had become exactly what he'd been his entire life. But he wasn't like that anymore. He didn't want to be that rotten, spoiled, selfish prince. He knew better than that now. He could be a better person. And he knows he has been. Even his castle staff has seen it. They had proof that he had changed. The guy that the Beast had been for even a little time now, the guy that one girl helped him become, that was the person he wanted to the only one good thing about that day, about his whole life, is that if he hadn't acted that way then he wouldn't be where he was today and he would have never met the girl of his dreams. And if the Beast was sure of anything else it was this: he wouldn't take Sharpay back then, he certainly wouldn't take her now, and he most definitely would never take her in the future nor would he let her get her hands on his throne.

There was one minor issue, however. The Beast was not willing to actually fight. Argue maybe, but not fight. that was the old him. The new him wouldn't fight like that...and most certainly not with a girl. Only glancing at the falling rose from the corner of his eye, the Beast knew that there was little time left. So how could he do anything? how could he stop this girl from getting what she wanted? What point would there be to even put up a fight? There was nothing left to fight for. Sure, there was the castle staff. The kingdom itself. But there was no one person there for _him_. No one to give him that motivation he needed. no one person to fight for. But what caused the conflict was that if he didn't do something then the Beast would be letting the entire castle down. And he knew that everyone who lived in it wanted to be human just as bad as he did. But through his wrath and horror as a prince, the servants had each other. If anyone else, even the most evil person, took over then they would still have each other to lean on. Zeke and Jason would have their friendship. Gabriella would have her brother Donny. But who would the Beast have?

Sharpay scowled. This was not going well at all. He was completely ignoring her. This stupid spineless Beast...that's all he was! She could see right through him. He wasn't going to fight her at all. He wasn't even going to try. what was he? Too weak? Too pathetic? Too kind? Well Sharpay was certainly going to fix that. And what kind of climax would it be if there wasn't some kind of dramatic fight scene? All Sharpay needed was one weapon. With one weapon she could ward him off easily. Maybe even knock him off the castle roof if it came down to that. As a last result, of course. Who wanted a murderer as a ruler? It didn't work with Scar in the Lion King so obviously it would never work with Sharpay. She wasn't even going to try.

But still, she had to get him out of the way somehow. Even if it was just a fencing match. That was simple enough. Some form of swords, protection, and poking. No actual violence and no uncessesary violance. And hey, if anyone did fall off the roof then it would probably be from slipping on the wet bricks...or whatever material it was made out of. Something strong and durable, that was for sure.

What probably irked Sharpay the most and what was driving her to put up some kind of fight - any kind of fight - was that he was disrespecting her again. he did that three years ago and it was happening again. Sharpay would have never imagined it. But she knew when she saw the Beast's face in that enchanted mirror, the same one that was still safely tucked in her jacket pocket, it was the Prince. There had just been something about him that seemed familiar. And so she journeyed to the castle, leading the angry mob. It wasn't just to show them the way or take charge of them. It was all a personal matter. And Sharpay knew when she took charge what going back to the castle meant.

Well...alright, she wasn't entirely sure. It could mean anything. An exchange of power in the throne, a battle between human and monster, getting revenge.... She pretty much would have suspected anything but dealing with fighting a bunch of living, breathing, objects. For common household use. Feather dusters and clocks and chairs...who knew those things could put up such a fight? But there was no need to get distracted now; they were wasting time. It was time, once and for all, to end this.

Hating the fact that the Beast had no completely forgotten about her existence, Sharpay slipped off one of her shoes from her feet. She squinted, attempting to get the best aim possible, and then threw her shoe with all her might at the Beast. What did you think she was going to do, take off her shoes and wait for a real man to return them to her like a fairy tale? So not likely. This was the furthest thing from a fairy tale now. This was an all-out battle...some kind of battle...something with a big meaning to it that would ultimately affect the end of the story. Whatever the correct term was, Sharpay had the upper hand now. Her show smacked the Beast right in the face. A faint roar escaped him, which was most likely from shock or being caught off guard. Maybe it was more of a heavy pant. But not only did the shoe hit him in a sensitive spot, but Sharpay had thrown it hard enough to knock the Beast right off his feet - paws, rather. The back blow caused him to topple over and crash into the window. He slipped out of it and onto the castle roof in the pouring rain, taking numerous pieces of glass from the window with him and leaving a trail of pieced of it behind. And yet somehow there was barely a scratch on him. Fighting the wolves did more damage to him than taking a hit with the mirror. But luckily for the Beast, he did not get close enough to the edge to plummet to his doom. The claws on his hind legs dug into the roof and he was safe. For the time being.

Sharpay watched this, carefully examining the Beast's every move. She walked over to her shoe and slipped her foot back into it. The rain began pouring through the shattered wall and Sharapy could feel the faint drops on her face and the powerful breeze against her entire body. She glared at the Beast as he managed to stand up straight again, but it was as though she were watching him to conduct a strategy. then she slowly stepped out of the west Wing and onto the roof. Every step she made was slow yet careful so she wouldn't be the one ending up slipping and plunging to her death. Even she was too smart to fall for that. There was an aura of drama and suspense in the air and creepy yet dramatic music could almost be heard, as it would be the perfect score for the scene. Score, background music...whatever the right term for that was. There was too much thinking and not enough action being involved. This was far from the time of joking and humor. There was only one thing it was time to do now. And Sharpay knew exactly what that answer was.

"We finish this now."

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At long last, another chapter is completed! I must say that I'm really really sorry for the wait. Tonight, which is now a Saturday, I wrote pretty much everything from the first flashback to the end. Everything else was written from my last day of summer and throughout this week...except for maybe two or three days where I was too tired and too lazy to write. I was exhausted last night, I fell out like a light at 9:30. Yeah, not used to having classes after 3:30 yet. But like I said, I do not know how often I'm going to have a chance to update now. I just want to focus on finishing the story and making it the best that it can possibly be. Now as for this chapter, I gave you guys a bonus. Not only did you really see what went down between Sharpay and the Beast/Prince/Chad (yes apparently now he has three names) you got to learn about the Beast's past. The first flashback was sort of inspired from the flashback of the transformation in "Beauty and the Beast: the Enchanted Christmas" and that is also where I got the dialogue from the enchantress. So now everyone pretty much knows the whole story. And as I was writing all of this on the spot there's probably numerous ways that the whole scene and/or history between Sharpay and the Beast could have gone. But I threw in the part about Sharpay's father working for Chad's father as kind of a twist to the story. Really did anyone see that coming? I'm just wondering. XD But a funny thing about this chapter though, I kept feeling like I was spelling Sharpay's name wrong and i have no idea why. I know I spelled it right, and the spell check tries to correct it every time, but then I just look at it when it's underlined in red so I'm sitting here at the computer thinking 'did I spell her name right?'. Anyway, this chapter is sort of the equivalent of the first half of the fight scene in the actual movie. I do want to try and get some sort of fight going, like not a big life or death fight or anything like that, but just something. That's kind of the climactic part of the whole movie and the one with the most action, drama, suspense, etc, so I do want to do something like that. But so you guys don't worry, I'll let you know now that there will most definitely be no deaths in the story. Now there's only a couple of chapters remaining in the story and I'm already brainstorming on a few parts but i won't give anything away. As for pictures, the last 'enchanted character' to be done is Chad/Beast. But first of all, I don't think I'll have any time to draw him, and second of all I honestly do not think I could draw him and capture him in that image successfully. But I do promise you guys this: at the last chapter I will put up a picture of the characters all in human form. Yeah I know we all know what they look like, but there's a few characters we didn't get to see...and maybe I just wanna draw them, so there. XD And i am now closing the poll on my profile for the next story I should write. Feel free to look at the results. I have already typed up a trailer for one of the stories and will put it up after this one is complete. But once again, I do not know when updates will be or how often. The same goes for any other in-progress stories/related oneshots I have. So just thought I'd fill you guys up on that...at least if anyone reads my occasional super long a/n's XD...and as I'm sure I'm putting you to sleep now I will shut up and let you get back to the horror that is the real world.


	21. Chapter 20

Ok so I'm beginning to think I'll have a chance to update once a week. That will probably be during the next few weekends, meaning that this story should officially be complete by the end of yes, that reason is because of the dreaded school...much like I'm sure a few of you guys have as well. So hopefully each chapter can be a little distraction from reality and keep you guys relaxed and entertained for a while. ^^ There's only a couple of chapters left and I had just enough time to start a picture of the characters...I got four done so far. xD But probably not every single person will fit on the page cause space on it is kinda limited. 0-0 Anyway less talking and more reading. And thank you to the people who did review last chapter: Actingprincess, Mzwendy85, and Chaylorxtraylorlover101.  
Disclaimer: Me talk in Tarzan voice like. Own me nothing.

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Sharpay and the Beast were now seen on the roof as the fierce downpour continued. The roof may have been made slippery from the rain, but Sharpay and the Beast both seemed to be doing a good job of keeping their balance. What might have been helping, however, was that neither of them were moving. Their respective places atop the castle was where they had been practically since entering the outside. After Sharpay had knocked the Beast through the window with her shoe the Beast had tumbled forwards but was lucky enough to have not fallen off; in that space was now where he was standing, though it was nothing like a fighting stance. Sharpay, on the other hand, wanted nothing but a fight. Any kind of fight. As far as she was considered, if the Beast could fall off the roof and plummet down then victory would be hers. And nothing was going to get in her way. There was no more scheming. There was no more plotting. All there was now was the faint aura of tension in the air and nothing but suspense.

Sharpay took her first step forwards and eyed the Beast directly. Now why wouldn't he fight her? Surely he had enough power to easily dispose of her. Yet it didn't frighten Sharpay. And still the Beast didn't even raise a finger at her. What was his angle? Sharpay wasn't afraid of him; even if he moved an inch she didn't flinch. All that creature was doing was just standing there staring at her like he didn't even have any will to stand. This was not the Beast she saw in the magic mirror. This was not the monster that could turn a person's blood to ice. This was not the menace who could threaten to steal children and eat them in one gulp. She just wanted to know why. Why didn't he want to battle? Why was he no longer raising his voice? Why did he seem so weak and pathetic?

"What's the matter, Beast?" she questioned as thunder roared in the night sky. "Too kind and gentle to do anything?"

The Beast didn't respond. He was kind and he was gentle; he knew very well that he was capable of being both of those things. But he wasn't going to fight a girl. If he were a human he could thumb wrestle one...or at least he used to. The thumb wrestling thing was one of the reasons Tiara was even working there. Let's just say they had a bet, she beat him, and it completely sealed the deal to her working in the castle. Enough said. But still, he would never actually fight a girl. and he just couldn't fight right now. He had no willpower to. There was nothing for him to fight for, nothing waiting for him when the battle would be through. What good reason was there for him to fight this chick?

"Answer me, Beast!" Sharpay demanded.

But he didn't. He just looked away from her and down towards the ground from their high-off place.

Sharpay scowled. No more stalling. There was far too much of it tonight. Searching the rooftop her eyes finally landed on a broken tree branch stuck up there. Now maybe she couldn't do much with it, but maybe it could get him started instead of just ignoring her. And Sharpay despised being ignored. Picking up the stick, she rose it in the air and prepared to strike...despite how pathetic and weak it might have really looked.

"Sharpay stop!"

Sharpay blinked hearing the familiar voice. Her eyes searched the skies for a minute before ending up looking down towards the front of the castle. Just as she thought; it was Ryan. He and Kelsi had just arrived on a pair of horses. While Sharpay was awfully high up, she was aware of her brother's powerful eyesight. It was like how she had a sensitive sense of smell that way; she had the strong nose and he had the strong sense of vision. It was no surprise he could see her up there. But the question was, what was he doing here? And to add to that, what was he doing here with Kelsi? Yes, she could just make out their figures from where she was.

"What are you doing here Ryan?" she yelled.

"Sharpay, stop what you're doing!" Ryan called back. "You're taking this too far!"

"Don't tell me what to do Ryan. It's none of your business!" she replied.

"But it is my business because you're my sister!" he called.

"Stay out of this!" she insisted.

Ryan held in a grunt at his sister's stubbornness. He knew she was taking this too far. Even he wasn't sure exactly what for, but it had to be stopped. And even more importantly, she was still on the roof. In this weather she could slip and fall.

"What are we going to do, Ryan?" Kelsi asked him, her more caring and sweet side easily outweighing any greed or anger she had felt.

"We have to get her down from there. Or at least I do." Ryan answered as he started pacing around.

"But how?" she asked.

The Beast listened to everything that was going on. So Sharpay had some people waiting for her. She actually had something to fight for. But what did he have? Absolutely nothing. He sighed sighed and kept his eyes off of as much as he could. So if she was going to finish him off now she might as well do it. And just as thunder boomed loudly, the Beast couldn't believe what he heard next.

"Beast!"

The Beast turned his head slightly and he was in even more disbelief. But as hard as it was to believe what he saw, there it was in plain sight. There _she _was. Just entering the castle grounds from behind Sharpay's fan club was Taylor on Jimmie with her brother Troy. She was here...she came back.... But how? When? Why? She was here!

"Taylor..." he said softly, still trying to believe it.

Sharpay growled. It wasn't bad enough that her own brother and what's-her-face was here to sabotage her master plan, but so was her own arch rival! and her own geek patrol, too! How dare she butt in again. Now she knew for sure. Sharpay could tell as clear as day what was going on. The Beast was picking that...that...what was the word? Riff-raft? Yeah, that was a good word. He was picking that riff-raft over her! What made him think she was worthy of him? There was no way Sharpay was going to let Taylor steal her spotlight again. Still looking very much on the pathetic side, Sharpay raised the broken branch again.

But it didn't even get the chance to strike. In a millisecond, the Beast raised his mighty paw and fiercely grabbed the stick, knocking it completely out of her hands and sending it flying across the sky. He was done just sitting back and being a pussy cat. He wasn't a scardey cat. He had a reason to put up some kind of fight now. He was done being pushed around by this Ice Princess.

But down below, that could have been interpreted as something completely different. To Ryan, he was thinking that the Beast truly was a monster and was going to destroy his sister. But Taylor knew the Beast would never do that. He had to only be trying to defend himself. He wasn't someone who would purposely hurt someone else - or worse.

"Let's go, Jimmie." she told the Shetland.

Jimmie then sped towards the door as Troy jumped down off of him and was able to easily kick them open with his front hooves. once they were in the castle, Taylor hopped off of him and hurried as fast as she could up the stairs. There was only one way to get to them, and that was through the West Wing. She just hoped she could get there before it was too late.

"Taylor don't be reckless! What do you think you're doing?" Troy called after her even though she was well out of earshot from him by now.

Ryan didn't waste another minute. He ran into the castle and attempted to follow Taylor, even though he lost sight of her and got lost much quicker than anticipated.

"Ryan!" Kelsi gasped. now he was the one being so reckless. Was this how bad everything was when she wasn't cooped inside a dark building or dark room? She groaned and turned to Troy, being that aside from the other horses he was the only one out there with her now and who she could turn to for questions. "What do we do now?"

Troy sighed. He really wished that there was another answer, but there wasn't. "We just have to wait and hope for a miracle, I guess." Because really, what else could that do? They couldn't interfere. If they tried following they'd easily get lost. The most they could do, aside from wishing for a miracle, was to stay where they were and watch what was going on. Who knows, maybe an idea would come to them somehow. More than anything else, Troy just hoped that someone wouldn't get hurt from this.

Donny watched all of this from Troy's shoulder, being able to have kept his balance on there for some time now. He looked at Troy and Kelsi, then back up towards the roof. He had been quiet all this time, but now seemed like a pretty good time to speak up.

"So...if this is like an action movie we're watching, who's got the popcorn?"

---

Sharpay was backing away from the Beast and it was getting to the point where they were moving all about the roof. But both were lucky enough to not be falling off. As scared as Sharpay looked right now, she wasn't going to be going anywhere without a fight. All she needed to do was keep him away somehow. If only she had that stupid sword....

Not looking where she was going, Sharpay tripped over something and rolled off where she was but landed on a separate section of the roof. She could see the Beast jumping down after her. Gasping, Sharpay stayed facing him and tried her best using her hands and feet to back away. But he kept ganging on her. There had to be something she could use to ward him off. Where was that arch enemy of hers she could use as a shield or something?

Then her eyes fell on something. It was a loose statue, its head almost compeltely broken off somehow. that was exactly what she needed. Sharpay had something to defend herself with now. All she had to do was pull the sweet and helpless act on this creature. She smirked to herself, and easily had her look turn to fright and horror as soon as the Beast was practically on top of her.

"Don't hurt me. Please, just please don't hurt me." she begged. "I'll do anything. I beg you, just please don't kill me!"

The Beast gritted his teeth and glared at her. He wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine right now. Part of him really did want to hurt her. But he was better than that. He knew it. So he couldn't hurt her, even though she was being a complete pest right just couldn't bring himself to strike her. So he slowly backed away from her, though he was still glaring at her.

Sharpay smirked at his movements. "That's a good monster. Too bad you're far too trusting!" Her voice quickly went from sweet to snappy in between the two sentences. Grabbing the statue's head and just able to pull it off, she flung it at the Beast. It struck him on the side of his face and he roared, flinching back and rubbing where it hurt. That son of a.... How could he fall for that so easily?

"Give it up Beast!" Sharpay declared as lightning struck again and she got back up to her feet. "I'll always think of a way to bounce back at you. even if it's the most simple way, I'll bounce back and take what is rightfully mine. Do you hear me, Beast!"

The Beast turned to face her again and roared. He wasn't going to fall for her tricks again. He'd make sure of it. All he had to do was make her the one to back off, even for a minute. He growled and then got ready to gang up on her. But he was barely even able to get far.

"Stay away from my sister!"

The Beast stopped in his tracks and looked up where the voice was coming from. Sharpay did the same, breathing heavily and attempting to catch her breath. She almost pictured what could have happened to her if it wasn't for that voice. And once again, it was him. Not too far up above them on just a nearby area of the roof, Ryan was standing there with a sword in hand. Where he got that from, it could have been her own somehow or maybe he had stolen it from somewhere in the castle. But with more lightning, Ryan almost looked like someone to fear. But there was of course one major catch: Ryan would have to have enough guts to strike somehow. Just because he held any kind of weapon in his hands didn't mean that he would willingly use it. To slice food maybe, but not to actually hurt someone. Not to hurt anything for that matter. Sometimes when eating meat, Ryan had to actually pretend it was fake meat or secretly stuffed with vegetables so he could eat it. Ryan was no fighter and he hated for anyone to get hurt, especially by his hands. And even now the fear could be seen in his eyes just holding the sword. His hands were shaking and he was biting his lower lip, a sure sign that he wouldn't fight. And truth be told, Ryan was just hoping the Beast would fall for this bluff and back away from Sharpay.

But there was barely even a chance for anyone to react. Lightning struck again but this time, it struck right at the area of the roof where Ryan was. No, it didn't hit him thankfully. But it was awfully close. Ryan gasped at how close it came to frying him and he jumped back, almost falling off.

"Ryan!" Sharpay gasped as she struggled to get up and go check on him.

But what neither of them saw was that the weapon literally flew out of Ryan's gasp. It flipped high into the air before landing on the highest part of the roof, just at the corner of the tower, but looking awfully close to the edge. And the truth was, it was that close. It was so close to the edge that it was wobbling, looking like it was going to fall at an instant at any given moment. The problem with that, however, was that it was out of everyone's wouldn't know when it would strike or how. And now at the moment, the weapon was the last thing on any of their minds.

Sharpay continued forcing herself to climb up to reach her brother. The Beast had now become nothing to her.

"Ryan are you alright?" she gasped.

"I...I think so." he stammered, sitting up on his bottom as more lightning struck. Thankfully, it didn't strike in front of him again. "That thing almost baked me like our Thanksgiving turkey last year. And that turkey was huge!"

Sharpay had managed to make it up to him and sat down in front of him.

"Ryan don't scare me like that." she said breathlessly.

"Ok, I'm sorry." he apologized, calming down a bit. "Can we please get down from here?"

---

"Oh mon Dieu!" Zeke gasped as he heard footsteps in the hallway from inside the castle. "Is there more invaders?"

"Quick, we have to go back into battle mode! someone call the cavalry! The giant horses! something!" Jason exclaimed.

But moments later, the enchanted objects were suprised to find Tylor running through the castle as fast as she could.

"Holy caholy..." Jason's jaw dropped.

"Mademoiselle, wait!" Zeke called as the boys rushed to catch up to her.

Just down the hallway as Gabriella exited one of the rooms she could see Taylor run by. She gasped and did her best to catch up...which was a bit easier than it was for the boys, also considering that Gabriella was closer than them.

"Taylor you're back!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Gabriella I need to find the Beast. I saw him on top of the castle with Sharpay." Taylor replied as she ran, barely making eye contact.

"Who's that?" Gabriella wondered. "The only other people we saw in here were invaders trying to destroy the castle. We just chased the last of them out."

"Well Sharpay was the one that brought them here. She's after Beast." Taylor replied.

"What?" Gabriella gasped.

"Just tell me the quickest way to get to the roof by the West Wing." Taylor insisted, knowing that the West Wing itself was on the other side of the castle.

Gabriella pointed her nozzle in the direction of some upcoming stairs. "Take those up. When you get to the second set of stairs hang a left and then run down that hall." she instructed. "Take it to the doorway with no doors, there's a balcony there. Take it out and follow the roof down to the balcony under it, it'll take you to the one by the west Wing."

"Thank you Gabriella!" Taylor exclaimed as she ran far ahead as fast as she could.

Taylor did exactly as she was told. surely tis had to be some kind of shortcut. Perhaps a bit more dangerous, but it was worth it if it would stop Sharpay from hurting the Beast. How stupid could she have been? This was all her fault! Why did she have to go and show the Beast through the enchanted mirror to everyone? Now because of her who knows what that she-witch was doing to him. She didn't even want to think about it! Anything was possible with Sharpay. Oh man that poor guy. Whatever happened to him it would be on her head. She just wanted him to be alright.

Finally making it out to the balcony she looked around, but didn't get a good view of anyone or anything around get. Carefully climbing out of the balcony, she cautiously slid down towards the balcony just below it, which thankfully wasn't too far down. Reaching the railing, Taylor then climbed over it and looked around frantically. For the Beast or Sharpay. But preferably the Beast. She wanted to know that nothing happened to him. Her eyes searched constantly, hoping to find some sign of him. But all she saw was the rain, a faint sight of the ground, the roof, and the sky. But she didn't see anyone. There was no sign of the Beast or Sharpay. where were they?

finally, Taylor felt her breath get caught in her throat. In plain sight, just off the side, there he was. She could see the wind blowing his tail and his cape so she could get a good view of him. Standing just below on one of the other areas of the roof, there he was. He was in one piece and he didn't look hurt. He was there. He was alright.

"Beast!"

The Beast's ears twitched hearing the voice. He looked around for a minute before slowly turning around. He thought he had a hard time believing it before but now he was really in disbelief. But now he had an even better view than he did before. Because he knew he wasn't just being hard of sight or anything. And it wasn't just the wind or something playing tricks on him. Because now, practically right in front of his eyes, there she was. She was there waiting for him. she came back to him. She was here.

"Taylor..."

His voice was just as soft and in shock as it was before, but he knew it was her. And it didn't change how delighted he was that she was back. His face lit up so easily and a smile easily appeared on his face. She was here. She was here for him. He watched as Taylor held her hand out to him, waiting for him to climb up the roof to her. The Beast slowly began climbing back upwards making his way to her in the storm. But even if the rain and wind got any stronger it wouldn't stop him. There was more lightning and the sound of thunder but it didn't faze him in the least. His eyes and mind were only on Taylor.

He got closer, practically being only a few inches away now. His smile was so bright and his eyes were so full of life. and he could see her coming into perfect view. She looked so worried about him, but something inside the Beast was just saying that if he got close enough to her then he could make her smile. And even now he could see the life in her eyes and how they were glowing. And even as he spoke her name again he was almost positive he saw a smile grow on her face.

"Tay..."

And she did smile. It was so nice to hear his voice again. It was just so warm and welcoming. He was happy to see her. And he was coming to her. This was just like in a fairy tale. Oddly enough, it was so romantic. And the way he said her name. Tay. It rolled so nicely like that off his tongue.

The Beast reached further and he was able to take her petite hand in his rather large paw. Just his thumb was able to fit into her hands, but the Beast had a good balance and he was now right on top of the banister and right in front of Taylor. He had a good grasp of her hand and they were now standing face to face. They met eye to eye and smiled warmly at each other. Unable to resist, the Beast used his other paw and gently ran it through her hair.

"You came back."

Taylor sighed contently. As furry and huge as his paw was, something about it felt so comfortable. It just felt so right. She could feel as it moved down to caress her cheek. That was such a wonderful feeling. She really didn't want something to break them apart now. Things were wrapping up so well. Things were ending the way they were supposed to. They were back together. Everything was right with the world. She didn't want this moment to be over. Using her free hand, Taylor placed it over the Beast's paw and could feel the warmth of his curly fur, even through the dampness of it all.

But unfortunately, not all good things were meant to last. Because a few moments later, lightning struck once more. And it hit the edge of the tower right where the sword was. Then it collapsed down with its sharp pointy end facing downwards. And with the wind guiding it and the angle that it fell from, the sword only had one target.

* * *

Another chapter complete. Not exactly long, but I didn't wanna make too much happen all at once. And honestly, i didn't have enough time. I was working on this bit by bit each week. So pretty much the last section, I finished tonight in the middle of my piles of homework. I'm not joking, it's a lot of homework. Most of it's reading but it's a lot of reading. Ok and a decent amount of art but that's all besides the point. So like I said, most likely expect an update each week and I do have ideas for oneshots and I'm aware i have a few other things to finish on here as well. so now, onto chapter talking! Technically the second part of the fight scene, but not really a fight scene. I was just trying to give it that tension and suspense filled type aura. And there are a few minor sections in there that resemble the movie. And honestly, there was no way I was going to have Ryan kill the Beast...or anything for that matter. Did you guys really think he'd do that? Never. Gotta keep the Ryan love alive right? lol So yes, everyone is still alive and we are all left with a cliffhanger. I don't believe there's much else to say, especially since I should get back to some of my homework. xD So I guess I will leave it all at that and keep it short for tonight and let you guys get on with...well, hopefully less homework filled lives and all rainbows and sunshine! ^_^ Oh, and candy! XD


	22. Chapter 21

Ok so I wrote the first bit of this I think Thursday night when I should have been studying. And honestly, I shouldn't even be doing any writing this weekend cause one again I'm jammed with homework. I'm not joking, I'm getting this like every weekend. I'm starting to think that there should be another time I work on these updates but it's really hard. I'm at school from 10 to about 1 Mondays and Wednesdays, 10something to 6...even later cause of Anime Club...on Tuesday, 10something to 6 on Thursdays, and possibly 12 to 12:50 on Fridays if I don't eat lunch with a friend after my class. And then the weekend most of my homework is for Color Theory and that takes up even more time than my art homework last year used to. And I've got no time to update in between classes. And I couldn't do anything last night cause I had the holiday at my cousin's house (Jewish New Year, happy new year guys!). So my next update may be a random one. But if I can't get an update in as soon as possible, please please don't be mad at me for it. Anyway the important thing is that there is a chapter up now and hopefully, despite that this is probably the saddest part in the entire movie, it'll be good enough till the next update. But on the bright side no more suspense with he sword, right....? And yes, only a few chapters remain. I'm not joking. And now I want to say thank you to the people who have reviewed the last chater: Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Seabreezylady18, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, and Mzwendy85. Thanks you guys!  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**Warning: Sad chapter approaching. Not happy chapter. If you have tissues bring them...especially if you thought this scene in the movie was depressing.**

* * *

A loud cry echoed within the storm. Heard from miles away, it was able to make anyone flinch in fear. townspeople would look up at the sky, assuming it was a sign that everything would get worse. But the storm remained about the same. They then continued on with their nightly activities under the mere assumption that it was the wind or their imaginations. Little did they know how wrong they were. Things may not have gotten worse for them, but something certainly had gotten worse. Even for just a few seconds the storm raged on.

The men who had fled the castle and were helplessly trying to make it through the woods and back to their home had to stop dead in their tracks. They thought for sure that it was a wolf, howling at the moon and about to catch them as prey. But nothing had happened. All they had seen in response to the cry was the brightest flash of lightning and heard such a powerful roar of thunder. But it didn't make them run away in fear. Even though it should be more frightening than what they had been attacked by in the castle, they just weren't scared. All they did was lower their heads and walk on slowly. It was as if they knew that something bad had to have happened but they didn't know what.

Anything that the enchanted objects were doing, they stopped at an instant. They could recognize the cry from anywhere; they knew exactly who it was. Jack froze in his place as he held spatulas in his hands. Tiara's head shifted towards the staircase and her mouth dropped. Martha had to look up from where she was as she leaned up against the wall and the normally content wardrobe-girl's expression fell. Boi stood with his legs parted and his tail just sitting flat out and his head up, only knowing who the cry was from but not why. Gabriella struggled to try and make her way towards the West Wing, moving as fast as she could now knowing what just had to have happened. Zeke and Jason were doing their best to navigate through the castle and find the easiest way to get there as well, only hoping that they weren't too late.

For it was the Beast that the cry belonged to. He could feel the sharp pain in his back as it stung at him. His spine almost felt like it was shifting at the sharpness of the weapon and his paw was instantly pulled away from Taylor's face. He attempted to reach behind him to try and pull it out but it made no different. As quickly as he felt something in his back, it was gone. for when the lightning struck the castle tower, the sword that was barely hanging on up there tumbled down with its sharp end facing downwards and the wind taking it on a dangerous path towards the Beast. It only took seconds for it to slash into his back on its own before tumbling back down to the ground. It had stabbed him in the fur and made a mark in his back before falling out and crashing into the stone ground. No cries were heard down below so it was safe to assume that the sword had not injured anyone else. But the Beast was sure that it had to be someone that attacked him purposefully and not just an accidental cause of nature. But he was unable to see behind him and may never know what had happened for sure. He felt dizzy and appeared on the verge of losing consciousness. He balance against the balcony was slipping and if he was there alone, he would surely fall to his doom.

But Taylor wasn't going to let that happened. She grabbed his paw and held it as tight as she could so he wouldn't fall. As she struggled to pull him over the banister and get the Beast on the safety of the balcony, her thoughts temporarily drifted to only moments ago. Things for that one second had felt so perfect. As happy as she has always been living with her brother on their little farm, that one second that she was reunited with the Beast was the happiest she's ever felt. He had indeed grown on her and she held a very precious soft spot for him. They had grown so close and it was easy to tell that he was no beast. But the villagers had never gotten the chance to see that gentle side of him; thanks to Sharpay, they were the reason that the castle and everyone in it had been put in danger. And evidently, it was now the cause of the Beast's suffering.

But no - Taylor couldn't put all the blame on Sharpay. She knew more than well that this was primarily her fault. If she hadn't shown them the Beast in the enchanted mirror then they would have never gone after him and come here. Sharpay may have gone after the Beast first, but Taylor was the one who instigated all of this. Whether this was an accident or not, it was her fault. Not Sharpay's for finding the Beast in the first place. Not Ryan for bringing the sword back which would be the thing to lead to this. Not nature's fault for guiding the sword right to the Beast's most vulnerable area. Not the sword's fault for landing where it had nor that it had lost its balance from its safe zone so easily. It wasn't even Troy's fault for trying to prove to everyone that the Beast really did exist. It was all on Taylor.

At first she wondered who could have done this, and why they had attacked the Beast at such a climactic and meaningful moment. But from the angle she was standing at, Taylor could easily tell that no one was there. It really was a wacky cause of the storm. At first she had nearly jumped back at the Beast's cry. But it didn't take her long to realize that it was a roar of pain, not anger. And from the corner of her eye she could see the sword swirling towards the ground with a deep red stain on it. Her eyes widened at the sight, sure of anything else at that moment, that that was the reason. She knew what it had done to the Beast. Not wasting another moment, she tried pulling him onto the balcony. Though he was much heavier than her, it was a miracle that Taylor was able to get the Beast over the banister and gently lay him down on the floor. What Taylor was unaware of, however, was that the Beast had just enough energy in his hind legs to grasp the edge with his claws so he wouldn't fall and was barely able to aid Taylor as she pulled him.

Finally catching up with Gabriella, Jason and Zeke made it through the doors of the West Wing and rushed towards the now broken window of the balcony. None of them said anything as they dashed over. They all knew they were thinking the exact same thing. They had the same worry in their eyes. As the three got closer, they could feel the chilly breeze of the storm. But it wasn't just an ordinary chill; it was the kind that send shivers down their spines. it was the first sign that it was the end of everything. The group was only hoping that things would turn around or that it was a false alarm. They hoped with all of their hearts that their master was alright and that nothing had happened to him or Taylor. But their worse fears came to be when they came to a halting stop just in front of the window. Gabriella's eyes filled with fear and concern and she was trying everything she could to keep her lip from quivering. Maybe it was too soon to worry, but maybe they really did have something to worry about. Jason only let a faint gasp escape him as he then put his hands to his mouth. He couldn't even blink as he stared out onto the balcony. Zeke's eyes widened and he froze as soon as he stopped hopping. For a moment he shook his head in disbelief but somehow he was able to refrain himself from saying anything. They just stood in silence as they took in the scene in front of them.

Taylor gently lay the Beast down on his back. The rain was getting lighter now but it couldn't have felt colder and the sky couldn't have gotten any darker. She could see the Beast flinch as his bleeding back made contact with the ground but only barely relaxed into it. At first Taylor wasn't entirely sure what to make of this situation. The shock was still hitting her at full force and she was trying to piece everything together. If his back wasn't treated then it could get infected, and if it got infected then he could get sick, and if he got sick then he could die. But from the stain Taylor had glimpsed on the falling sword, she knew that it wasn't just a cut. The slash had gone deep past his fur and skin. If the injury was as bad as it looked, then the Beast could have as long as a few minutes. But there had to be some way to stop it. Maybe if she could just stop the bleeding then he'd have a chance. If there was a towel or a cloth somewhere she could use...no, no, no! They were on the balcony and it was still raining. It was cold. Something was going to be the end of him if this kept up. There had to be something she could do. Taylor had never seen the Beast so helpless. Even when he had fainted from the fight with the wolves, he didn't look as bad as he did wasn't just exhaustion she saw with the Beast. She saw how pale he looked and it was a horrible sight.

The Beast hadn't moved an inch. He barely said a word or even let out a breath. At first Taylor was fearing the worst. She shook her head, hoping with all her heart that it wasn't true. She managed to bring herself to place a hand on his chest. It moved slowly, but the Beast was still breathing. It was slow and faint but he was alive. There was still a chance he could make it!

If it weren't for his faint breathing or the rain, then everything would have been completely silent. and it would have been impossible to anything in that situation because then it would surely feel like all hope was lost. Taylor didn't want the Beast to think that. She had to get his attention somehow, and let him know that he would be alright. That everything was going to be ok. After everything that happened she wasn't going to lose him now. She just couldn't. He was the first anyone to treat her like a person. Alright, technically it was the enchanted objects that did that, but he made her feel different. They were both essentially the same. The Beast was an outcast of his own, always so different from everyone else. And so he shut himself off from the world, unlike Taylor who had continued to step out of her house and go on with the day like nothing was going on. The Beast had built a wall around himself, to keep the outside world away from him. But Taylor had been able to watch as he tore that wall down and she was able to get through. He didn't care if she wasn't as pretty or fashionable or whatever as all the other girls. He cared about her for who she is. And those feelings had been able to become mutual. But Taylor knew there was more to it than that. It wasn't just a sense of security and being themselves that brought them together. It was something had never felt anything like that before. And as painful as it felt now, she really didn't want it to go away.

She slowly brought her hand up to his cheek and stroked it, her fingers gently roaming through his fur. The Beast winced for a moment, but he appeared to relax easily at her touch. His eyes slowly began to open and he moved only slightly. It took a moment, but he was finally able to bring his head to face Taylor. His eyes were barely opened, but his eyes were shining just enough through them. But as much as Taylor wanted to see the life in them that she had seen before, there wasn't any in there. The brightness that once filled his eyes was slowly fading away.

But somehow the Beast just didn't see it that way. He was breathing heavily, but he was able to form a small yet weak smile. He had never felt so hurt or worn out before. He could feel the energy escaping him and knew there wasn't much time left - for him or the spell. No matter what happened first it was over. As much in disbelief as he still sounded, there was only one thing that was keeping him awake at this moment and that was getting a smile on his face. And he was looking right at her.

"You came back..."

His voice was hoarse and strained, but he was speaking. But that was only going to make things worse. Taylor knew that he would start spitting out things like 'don't worry' or 'I'll be ok'. It wasn't alright. He wasn't going to be ok. There wasn't nothing to worry about. Whether she liked it or not, and as much as she tried to tell herself not to believe it, this was going to be the last time she'd talk to him.

"Of course I cam back." Taylor replied softy. What would ever give him the idea that she wouldn't? "I could never leave..."

She saw the Beast continue to breathe heavily. He was running out of energy fast. He looked so exhausted...no, there had to be more time than this! There was no way he could let some stupid hit like that do him in. Taylor wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, resting her head against his fur. As cold and damp as it felt from the rain right now, it still felt so nice. There was still a bit of warmth left in it. What she would give for him to be alright and just....

"This is all my fault." she confessed. The guilt was just too much for her to harbor anymore. Whether the Beast needed to know that Taylor was the reason for his current condition right now or not, she had to tell him. She just really hoped that he didn't hate her for it. "I shouldn't have told everyone. And if I got here sooner maybe I would have been able to stop it."

The Beast shook his head lightly. Why he wasn't blaming Taylor for this, she'd never understand. But he certainly didn't hate her. He could tell her that right now. He could confess everything and let her know how he felt before it was too late. Maybe it was his stubbornness that controlled what he said or maybe he just thought otherwise...maybe he even went so far as to think in the back of his head that she didn't feel the same way. But whatever the case, what everyone thought he would say to her was not what came out of his mouth.

"Maybe...it's better this way..."

Taylor blinked and picked her head up. What was he saying? That it was good that he was dying? That it was good that all of this happened? That it was good they could never be together now? What was he even thinking saying something like that? Taylor shook her head in disbelief. surely what the Beast was telling her wasn't true. She had to get him to snap out of it somehow. The creature laying before her in its most tired, vulnerable, and hopeless state was not the creature that she.... Taylor continued shaking her head as she picked it up from his fur and looked at him.

"Don't talk like that."

There had to be a way to get hope into him somehow. It was slim, but maybe he really would be fine. But he wouldn't be if he didn't believe he would. If he was talking the way he was now it really would be the worst. All Taylor had to do was get some positive thoughts into him. Maybe that would get them somewhere.

"You'll be alright. We just have to get you a warm blanket and some bandages..." she said, gently running her hand down his chest.

The Beast only responded with a faint cough. That was not a good sign.

"We're together now. Everything is going to be fine." she tried. "I'm here. I'm not leaving. We're together."

Yes, she was saying all of that for a reason and it wasn't just to try and get him to think he was going to be better, or even to feel better. He had to get better, he just had to. Taylor knew that he could. Or maybe it was just that the shock of all this hadn't fully hit her yet. Maybe, despite how smart she was, she just didn't realize how bad this really had gotten and that nothing she said was going to work.

From inside the West Wing, Zeke, Jason, and Gabriella could see and hear everything that was going on. Zeke was a bit taken back by it all. He always assumed that when there was a chance for the spell to be broken, nothing would go down like this. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He almost looked...depressed by it. And it took a lot for Zeke to get depressed. He glanced over at his friends and they all exchanged looks. Jason looked the most hopeless right now. He really didn't think that there was a chance for anything to get better no matter what they did. Or maybe he was just a sucker and totally fell apart with any kind of sob story. No one was ever able to prove that. Gabriella was trying to look her best to be hopeful, but that still didn't stop the look of concern and worry on her face. She couldn't even force out a smile. And even if she could, it would mean nothing. Her eyes had enough fear in them to make anyone afraid. And when any of these three...alright, mainly just Zeke and Gabriella...felt bad and looked hopeless, it was hard to believe anything would turn around.

They looked back to the pair and could see the Beast trying to open his eyes again. But every time he opened them a little he had to close them. They would open a few seconds later, but then it would just be a repeat. He was able to keep them open a little longer as he lifted his arm. He moved it slowly, but soon enough he was able to brush his paw against Taylor's cheek again. He could feel his fingers going lightly through her hair, thinking about how nice it felt. He wasn't going to let his stubbornness control him this time. The Beast had never been one to let his feelings out. If anything, he would keep them bottled up somehow. But now wasn't the time to do it. If he was going to give this girl even a hint about how he felt he was going to do it now. There was no turning back.

"At least...at least I got to see you...one more time."

Taylor's eyes widened at his statement. She was trying to digest everything. Last time? At least? Her? There was no way he could be thinking that this was the end. It was almost starting to make her lose hope. There was just no way.... Why was he even saying that? A lump was forming in her throat and Taylor was trying so hard to ignore it. Feeling his paw on her face, she gently placed her hands on it. That felt so nice..... Was he trying to tell her that this was the last time they'd be able to talk? To do this? That she'd never be able to feel this again? Her touch on his paw was gentle, but then just thinking about all that almost made her tighten her grip, doing everything she could not to let him go. It seemed to be working. She really didn't want to let go.

But the next thing she knew, the Beast's paw was slowly lipping out of her grasp. It fell down to the ground first and the Beast rested his head back on the ground. His eyes almost looked like they were rolling to the back of his head, like he was losing all sense of vision. His chest was barely moving, even looking to the point where it seemed to have stopped. It was so hard to tell. And then he closed his eyes and became motionless.

The shock of everything was finally hitting Taylor. Everything that she didn't want to believe was happening. Even now she was trying so hard not to believe that what she was seeing was real. She could feel her chest moving up and down heavily, almost to the point where it felt like she was hyperventilating. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

"Beast?" she asked almost in a whisper. "Come on...you have to wake up. Please."

This almost always happened in one of her books. The worst of the worst would happen and then everything would turn around somehow. Maybe it would happen now. Sure it wasn't a fairy tale, but there was a chance wasn't there?

"Please..."

But this wasn't one of her books. This was nothing like a fairy tale. Fairy tales had happy ending. Almost all of her books had happy endings. Alright, the Romeo and Juliet one didn't have a happy ending, but at least the two of them got to be together so it was kind of happy for them. Ok well they both died...but at least one didn't have to live without the other. That was kind of happy. But this...this wasn't. This wasn't like any of the stories. And the worst part of it probably was, this was even worse than Romeo and Juliet.

"No..."

She shook her head in disbelief. Everything was finally sinking in. He got struck by the sword by some freak accident. He got hurt. He ran out of energy. He ran out of life. All of that just happened. And there was no turning back. There was no way to make it better now.

"No.... No...."

Her voice was cracking now. The water she felt on her face wasn't just from the rain anymore, but from her. Those were tears. This was the first time that Taylor had cried in front of anyone, whether they could see it or not. The full shock of the situation had finally hit her.

"Please don't leave..."

She was begging for him to stay even though she knew it would do no good. But still, there had to be some way to turn it around. But nothing happened. He was still motionless. She lost him.

Taylor buried her head in his chest, wrapping her arms tight around him. She thought it had been bad when this beast took her away from her brother. She thought it was bad enough when he snapped at her. she didn't think anything could have been at a lower point. But in the middle of all that something had changed. And now things were reversed. When she wanted him gone, he was there to stay. And now that he was gone she wanted nothing more than for him to wake up and tell her he was alright. This was as low as it went. Nothing could get worse than this. Now Taylor understood the heavy pain she felt in her chest and why she was so willing to show her emotions when every other time she kept them hidden.

Finally, she willed herself to say what she'd been wanting to since she got there. And she knew it was going to hurt even more. It wasn't supposed to hurt. It was supposed to feel magical and wonderful. but what probably hurt the most about saying it now was that he'd never hear it and he'd never knew how she felt. The words came out in a whisper, but she still willed them out and her heart grew more heavy. But there they were. The three most important words that everyone has been waiting for years to hear.

"I love you."

And that's when the last petal fell.

* * *

Ok so it's not exactly a long chapter. But I'll be honest. There wasn't a ton to work with in here and I didn't want to make a long depressing chapter anyway. It's just so sad, I was stalling while I was writing the bottom half of this. Ok sad is not fun. Sad is...well, sad. Oh man, how am I supposed to leave on a happy note now? If I type about the chapter then it'll be even more depressing. And if I keep blabbing on like this then you guys are gonna think I'm crazy...oh wait, I already am. XD And that did absolutely nothing did it? Ok long story short so we're not completely depressed here's what happened: recreate sad movie scene and try to use dialogue from characters here and act like they would act in here. There, no depressing, no detail, just straight out explanation. Ok what if I leave you guys off with a piece of good news? Will that make you feel a little more cheery? I really hope so. Ok, so I stared writing kind of a prologue for one of my stories, one of the two that you guys chose to be written next. So i'll probably be able to work on that in school cause well let's be honest, I cant bring my laptop every day and I still need the movie to finish this story so I can't write without watching, you know? Does that make sense? XD Ok, anyway i really hope this was all just good enough for one week. Hopefully I can get a more happier chapter up ASAP.


	23. Chapter 22

Alright so this chapter I've been working on over the course of a week. This coming week I may have more time to get a chapter up cause one of my classes is canceled...although it means I'll be at school longer cause on Friday I've got a trip to the Metropolitan Museum for that class. So yeah, really nothing for the weekend, but hopefully sooner if my homework load is nice and light...or lighter than it has been. xD Anyway, as far as the regular story goes this would be considered the next to last chapter. However, there will be two more chapters after the next one. Meaning there's actually three more to go. I say three because one chapter will have the 'credits' because I think that the people who brought the original film together, as well as the ones who started HSM, should be praised and thanked for their for all you guys who never read the credits, now you sort of can. lol More on that when the time comes. And the last chapter was one I asked you guys if I should do. Don't remember? Sorry to say I'm not giving anything away. Now I know you're all excited for a happy ending so less yakking and more reading right? xD And of course, I would like to say thank you to the people who reviewed last chapter. for a sad chapter, you guys all said so positive things about it. ^^ I thank you for that as well. So thank you to: Chaylorxtraylorlover101, Rockyshadow, Seabreezylady18, ChaylorTwilightQueen10, Mzwendy85, xXMXx, and MermaidRam85.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Everything was completely silent now. The three enchanted objects watched as their and everyone else's last chance for freedom slipped away. The final petal from the rose floated down to the table from its stem ever so slowly. But it fell nonetheless. It was too late to do anything now. There was no need to say anything because there was nothing anyone could say or do to fix this. It was all over.

Zeke held in a sigh as he turned away from the rose. He rubbed one of his candle holders against his arm and looked at the ground. He slowly picked up his head to look at his comrades. Jason had his hands behind his back and softly kicking a small pebble away from him as a sign of disappointment. Gabriella's face looked even more down than theirs. It was easy to tell that the girl was heartbroken, and it couldn't have been just because of the spell. What probably killed her the most was that what could have been a perfect fairy tale ending has come crashing down. Now a happy ending would have been so nice to see; but Zeke was beginning to think that this fate for all of them was inevitable. But what made it even worse now was that their master was gone and they had no one to rule over the castle. To say they had nothing left now would be an understatement.

The rain was falling softly outside now, only to be just a smidgen heavier than a drizzle. But it might as well have been as stormy as it was before, because that's how bad it felt right now. This was all anyone was going to see for the rest of their lives: just a bleak, dripping, dark, watery sky. Even for those of the enchanted objects who knew nothing about what was going on, they could feel as though the worst had happened. They didn't need to go see for themselves. Even if they didn't know why they suddenly felt so down now, the weather outside would surely give it away. And if only Troy and Kelsi knew what was going on then they would realize why everything had gotten so quiet and why they were suddenly feeling so down. Jimmie could feel it himself; he had put his head down and just sat where he was, tucking his legs in under his body. And that was something he never did. Donny had long ago journeyed into the castle to see what was up. His usual naive outlook had been brought down just by looking at everyone. With nothing else to do, all he really could do was follow Boi upstairs and see how his sister was coping.

Taylor hadn't even dared to pick up her head once from the Beast's motionless body. She kept playing the events over and over again in her head. That was all she had left now, where the memories. But even if she tried to remember the good times it wouldn't be enough. She needed more than just the memories. what she needed was for the Beast to wake up. But even that was possible. It was never going to happen. It was over and that was all there was to it.

Or was it?

Rain continued to fall but in the midst of the water droplets, something else began to fall as well. at first it was just a small faint light. Almost like a tiny shooting star. But when it hit the floor of the balcony it vanished into thin air, only leaving a few particles left over. The light itself had disappeared as fast as it came while the rain was falling at normal speed. But it didn't stop there. Another light shortly followed. It was much brighter, almost looking like a pastel color. Normally such a light color up against such a dark setting would be a sure sign that things were changing. But then that light hit the ground and disappeared, too. But it left more remains and the ground almost looked like it was glowing with confetti. And then a few more lights came down. It started with a few more, one at a time, and then it came down in pairs, then triple, and so on.

But there was something strange about these lights. They weren't just coincidentally falling from out of nowhere and landing on the balcony. They were going where they were for a reason. they were all landing in the same place. To be more precise, when they landed they were surrounding where Taylor and the Beast were. The bright confetti no laying on the ground was almost a shadow of them, or more like a shadow of the Beast. They continued to fall and surround him until almost the entire balcony was covered in the bright ashes. And it came to be that not only were the light almost blending in with the rain so it looked like it was raining mini shooting stars, but the rain itself was almost fading entirely. The lights grew brighter as they continued to fall, and soon enough confetti-shaped remains themselves were falling onto the balcony.

Though her eyes were still shut, Taylor could feel a disturbance, as though she were being blinded. That's how bright everything was. Yet she was still trying to find it in herself to open her eyes. If she did, then she'd remember why she shut them in the first place. But surely enough she did open them and attempted to follow the falling lights. This could not be logical. There was no way that something like this were possible. Either she was dreaming or...well really, that was the only decent explanation she could think of at this point. But after everything else that has happened, this sight shouldn't have come at a surprise to her. And yet it did.

Feeling something move under her, Taylor looked down in hopes that it was the Beast waking up. He was moving but he wasn't waking up. This could not be right. But something was happening to him. She saw him move up a bit and remained where she was in pure shock, wishing she knew what the heck was going on and if this really was happening or if it all was a figment of her imagination. But something didn't feel right. The Beast's whole body wasn't just moving...it was floating. It was floating upwards. Taylor let a faint gasp escape her as she backed away a little as she watched the body slowly move a few feet above her into the air. A faint light was now exiting from the sky and falling on the Beast as the shooting lights themselves continued to fall.

Zeke, Jason, and Gabriella willed themselves to look out into the balcony. They saw themselves what was going on and were in pure disbelief. Their mouths dropped open and they watched in silence. As much as they wanted to believe what was going on, they just couldn't. So many questions were running through their heads right now. But they had no time to ask nor were they intending to. All they were doing was just taking in the sight before them and watching, yes indeed, what they had been hoping for, for so long.

Taylor backed away a few more steps as her eyes widened at the sight. She slowly pulled herself up to her feet. The Beast was still hanging in midair, the light all around him. The falling lights had now completely faded in with the rain and it merely looked like it was raining again. And although the rain was visible, she didn't feel any water touch her skin. It was almost like it was going right through her. The faint light that seemed to be coming from nowhere was still surrounding the Beast and the wind blew his cape a little so it looked like it was surrounding his whole body. But it didn't last that way for long. Its grip around him was loose. It was hard to tell if the Beast was moving his arm out of his somehow own free will or if something else was controlling him, but somehow he lifted his arm up and out from under his cape.

There seemed to be a small light emitting from his arm. It seeped up to his hand and began escaping through his fingers. A few pieces of fur fell from his hand, almost looking like he was shedding. But with the light that was escaping, the fur that he lost on his hand nearly seemed to vanish all on its own. His paws easily disappeared and his claws seeped into his hands as nails. The light shone brightly and his fur continued to slowly vanish.

A faint hint of smoke began to surround his hind legs which were slowly shifting into human legs, where the knees and ankles were clearly defined. The light began emitting from there as well and soon his paws had become flat feet and the fur continued to vanish. Much like it was now doing with his hands, the light was overpowering his body and seeping through his fingers and toes. The pants that were once just his size were now shredding to fit his no longer deformed body and grasped tightly onto his legs.

His cape almost looked as though it were going to fall of, becoming much to big for him. His shirt was now fitting much more loosely as the same light started making it way up his body and into his face. He didn't shred any fur because there was no need to. In the blink of an eye, the same light rose through his shirt and circles him and in a split second all that was able to be seen was the faint form of a human face and the cape covering the rest of his body. All that was known for sure was that there was no tail hanging out from behind. His head and draped backwards and his arms drooped in the air as he hung for a few more seconds before slowly sinking back down to the ground. One arm seemed to be coming out from the cape and hanging in the air, which had to be some kind of sign of what happened. There didn't appear to be any fur but it had not gotten any lighter in shade. It wasn't a large, muscular monster arm but almost appeared more human-like. But there wasn't enough time to decipher because as soon as he lay down on the ground his arm was tucked back almost entirely under the cape and out of view.

As much as Taylor would have liked to know the reason for this strange occurrence, she had no idea what it was or why it was happening. Suddenly the Beast wasn't laying in front of her anymore but what almost looked like a boy. Or a man? But he wasn't motionless; his chest moved up and down ever so slightly so it was easy enough to tell that he was breathing. The smoke that surrounded him from what appeared to be some kind of transformation was vanishing. Assuming it was safe now, Taylor took a step or two closer to find out what was going on. She was just about to stretch her arm out to him, not even bending down, when suddenly he shifted a little. Caught off guard by this, Taylor jumped back and watched as one of his arms bent out, almost looking like he was about to stand up. He then used that arm and his legs to get up to his feet. the over sized cape that had been surrounding his body fell off the instant that he moved. But his back was still facing Taylor. All she could see of him were his ripped clothes, his skin tone, about how tall her was, and his hair. His skin was about the same shade as hers, maybe a tiny bit lighter. His hair was darker in color, what looked like a dark brown, and it was curly. Its curliness was almost identical to that of the Beast's. She watched cautiously as the man lifted his arms and looked at them, with from the looks of it to her, seemed like he was in disbelief about something. She noticed this because his head had looked at one of his hands and then shifted to the other and even wiggled his fingers a little.

Then all of a sudden, he turned to face her and stepped into the light. The rain was now a soft drizzle and it almost looked like the skies were clearing. Taylor could now make out all of his features perfectly. He was taller than her, maybe about by four or five feet at an estimate. He was definitely muscular; she could tell by his physique. His curly hair had multiple bangs hanging in his face, but just enough to stray away from his eyes. Taylor couldn't tell the exact shade of them; but from what she could assume, they weren't blue or green of sorts because they didn't pop out with his hair or skin tone. But whatever shade they were, they were looking right at her. At first Taylor had no idea how to react. Where did he come from? What did he do with the Beast? Who was he? Why did he look so familiar?

He looked down at his body once more, putting his hands to his chest like he was still in disbelief. But the look he got in his eyes soon after, by about a few seconds, showed that he understood something. Almost like he'd come to a sudden realization and knew exactly what was going on.

"Taylor...it's me."

She couldn't even find the right words to describe his voice as he stepped closer into the light and reached out for her hand. It was just so...wow. And the smile he got on his face was just so warm and inviting. If she were a normal girl - in most cases, at least - then she'd be judging from looks alone that he was a winner. But that was virtually the last thing on her mind right now. What she was sure of was that she's seen him before. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Taylor raised an eyebrow at him, not sure of what to do at first. But surely enough, she slowly placed her hand into his. She felt him hold onto it; his grip was loose yet it felt like he'd never let go. There was still a faint familiarity to it. At first she didn't respond. She just stared at him, trying to remember where she's seen him before. What about him seemed so familiar. Taylor wasn't entirely sure why, but something in her was just telling her to make a guess of who it was. It was a long shot, but it could be possible. Who knows, she just might be right. Has she been wrong yet? Ok, maybe that was a bad question.

"Beast?"

There was a hint of confusion in her voice, just a small hint. She wasn't entirely sure of herself still, but it was a guess. Taylor wasn't even sure why she thought that. There was no way it could be him. Could it?

A faint, gentle chuckle escaped him and a warm smile came across his face. He looked right at her. He didn't give any inkling on whether she was right or not. There was no yes or nod or anything. He only answered in the same welcoming voice that he had been speaking in, which most likely because it wasn't as deep as the Beast's, had her highly doubting that it was him.

"Call me Chad."

Taylor didn't seem completely convinced. She could easily tell now the fine line between a story and real life. This certainly wasn't one of her stories. It was all real. Either that, or just plain too good to be true. But that didn't change the facts. Something about his voice just drew her in. Using her free hand she slowly lifted it up towards his hair. She hesitated for a moment, almost as though she were silently making sure it was alright. With no opposition from this Chad, she gently ran her fingers through his curls. She mentally compared them to the Beast's fur. They were similar in color. They were most definitely curly. But the Beast's were tighter and, mostly when he was angry, fierce looking. These curls were much softer and...and they felt so nice. She liked this feel of her fingers in his hair. She kept them near the edges of his hair, but they were still in his hair nonetheless. Now she was almost getting lost in them. There was still something familiar about them. Where had she seen this type of hair before?

Then she moved her head, taking her eyes off of his locks and looking right into his. Their eyes met and she could see the exact shade of them. They were this wonderful shade of brown. They almost blended in with him completely. But to Taylor, they stuck out like a sore thumb. She remembered those eyes now. The first thing that came to her mind was the portrait, the one of the man she had seen when she first went into the West Wing. She recalled the portrait and the image flashed into her mind. It was a painting. It was of a man. Who happened to look exactly like Chad. Sure, there were tears in the picture and a huge diagonal slash in the middle, and granted she had never gotten the chance to in a manner of speaking put the puzzle pieces together, but she still knew it was him. It was the same hair and the same eyes. It was those eyes that drew her into the painting. But that wasn't the only place she'd seen them. Taylor knew who else those eyes belonged to. Her eyes widened at the realization but then she smiled. And she had a dang good reason to.

"It is you...."

Her voice was so in disbelief, but Taylor knew that it was true. She moved her hand from his hair onto his cheek. His hand then gently stroked her hair and Taylor sighed contently at how nice it felt. Her hand slowly slid down onto his chest and his now rested on her cheek. Their other hands slowly slipped out of each others' grasp and Taylor put hers against his chest as well while Chad wrapped his now free hand around her. Their faces slowly inches closer together. There was a brief, almost dramatic pause like someone would be saying 'just kiss already'. And surely enough, that's exactly what happened. Their lips met and shared a soft kiss and something ultimately sparked. If it wasn't their time together that did it, then this did. Or at least gave the sign that it was most definitely right. Both then went to wrap their arms around each other and hold each other close, almost feeling like that wouldn't let go.

From that one kiss meant the end of everything...for the better. Fireworks began going off in the night sky and lightened it up in an instant. But when the remains of the fireworks departed they ended up falling and completely covering the light rain. The water stopped falling from the sky at an instant and night turned to day. The dark sky that had once covered the castle for so long as now gone and everyone could see the sun shining again. But that wasn't all that became light again. The dark colored castle was hit by the fireworks' ashes as well. Almost like they were water washing away wet paint, the black from the castle walls faded and bright white colorings of sorts were revealed underneath it. The once fierce gargoyle-esque statues had become bright angels like the ones on the ceiling of the ballroom and the roof went from pitch black to a bright, inviting shade of red.

And yet the spell's work was not complete yet. Overjoyed at the sight, Zeke, Jason and Gabriella ran onto the roof to join Chad and Taylor who were now breaking away from their truly magical kiss and just standing there in each others' arms. Zeke had gotten out to them first. He had almost gotten lifted into the air as he was surrounded by a small light. The next thing he knew, he was almost as tall as Chad instead of a short and skinny candelabra. And his human form looked so much different than his enchanted form. His skin was a dark shade and his short hair was black, though the bangs almost resembled the bit of wax that had hung from his top candle in his enchanted form. He looked fairly muscular himself and his eyes were a deep brownish color. He had a light jacket on, one of about the same color he was as a candelabra or so, but it was buttoned up and underneath it was a midnight blue shirt. His pants matched that shade and he was wearing a comfortable pair of sneakers. Yes, very casual wear for someone who worked in a castle. But let's not forget, Zeke also worked alongside Jack in the kitchen in the past; so who would care if a bunch of casual clothes got messy?

Chad's eyes widened as he looked at Zeke. He'd almost forgotten what he looked like as a dude.

"Zeke!" he gasped.

Zeke chuckled and smiled, almost like he wasn't surprised at all anymore.

"In the flesh."

Then, right next to Chad, popped up Jason out of his clock form and back to a human. His hair was the same color his wood had been, but it was a bit messier and his eyes were a much lighter brown. He had on what either looked like a very nice green jacket, or maybe something more like a very casual sports jacket, over a mint green shirt and a very handsome pair of jeans. Were they jeans? Oh well, they were some kind of blue pants...that almost looked too big for him if he weren't wearing a belt. Yes, they knew he was wearing one because if he wasn't then his pants would most definitely fall down in an instant.

Chad turned to Jason with the same look on his face from when he saw Jason, though the shock would have been much worse if Jason's pants did fall down.

"Jason!"

"Where?" Jason gasped, shocked himself at the response and looking all around. Then when he looked back at the gang, he chuckled and realized what Chad was talking about. "Oh...that's me!"

And last but not least - at least for the moment - Gabriella practically jumped up in her human form again, almost losing her balance. Her hair was a either a dark brown or a very light black...or maybe a combination of the two...and her bangs which came off to just one of her sides and held with a heart-shaped barete were identical to what the top of her cover looked like as a teapot. Her eyes were bright and vivid and she had a very nice figure, dressed in a simple white dress and flats, and her smile was just as bright as the rest of their's knowing what had just happened. There was clearly so much she wanted to do right now, especially now that she had hands again, but she was too busy just trying to contain her excitement.

"Gabriella..." Chad added. Boy she looked a lot shorter than he remembered! But that didn't even matter. what mattered was that they were human again. Oh snap, they were human again! "Do you guys see us!" he exclaimed, practically embracing them all in a hug. That's how overjoyed he was.

A part of Jason was still trying to get used to this again. "Quick...what do people do when they're turned to human again for the first time in forever?"

Gabriella was the first to answer that, not just eager to use her hands, but eager to not have to hop everywhere she went. She had legs again! Oh man, the things she could do!

"They hug their best friend and say thank you a million times for saving them!" Gabriella answered as she ran over to Taylor and the two of them hugged.

Jason laughed and jumped into the hug with them, which left Gabriella and Taylor looking at him in a very confused manner.

"Jason...I think she was just talking about me." Taylor stated after a minute.

"Oh..." Jason replied slowly. Boy this was awkward. He slowly pulled away from them and took a few steps back. "Carry on then."

But the girls couldn't help but just laugh over it.

"Gabi! Gabi!"

Gabriella turned to see Donny entering the balcony on Boi, both still in enchanted form. But in a few mere seconds, they had joined the group of being normal again. Boi had become a very small dog with brown and black fur, along with pointy ears that would almost make someone think of a cat. His tail was minuscule in size and he didn't have a ton of fur, but he didn't have so much that it would cover his eyes either. Donny on the other hand...well he turned out to be much bigger than a little tea cup. Turning into a human again, he almost fell over on his back trying not to accidentally crush Boi. Sitting up as Gabriella ran over to him to bring him to his feet, Donny was a bit tall for his age, definitely a preteen or an early teenager. His skin was darker than Gabriella's but not as dark as Chad's was. Donny's hair was black and there wasn't a ton of it, but that's what really brought out his eye and showed their resemblance to Gabriella's. And of course being a younger member of the castle he was allowed to wear almost anything he wanted. So he was now in a red shirt with an eagle printed on it, a pair of jeans, and regular sneakers. He was fortunate enough not to fall on Boi, but it didn't matter because the lapdog just jumped forward and looked around at everyone eagerly as he wagged his tail.

Gabriella squealed as she wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged him tight.

"I can't believe this Donny!"

"I know, how awesome is this!" he exclaimed.

"No, not that!" her eyes widened as she let go of him. "You know better than to run off like that. You said you were trying on clothes!"

"Oh, that..." he said slowly. "Um...will 'I'm sorry' help?"

"No." Gabriella shook her head.

Donny shrugged and smiled and walked over to Taylor in a casual yet smooth mode, like he was attempting to make a move on her.

"Well in that case, will a date be better?" he asked Taylor, trying to be cool and move some hair out of his face.

Gabriella gasped and pulled him away from her friend. Yeah, like she was going to let Donny make a move on her best friend and who happened to be Chad's girl. Yeah, she knew it was going to happen. There was such a thing as happy endings. Just not the way her brother pictured them.

"You didn't let me finish." she said quickly. "It won't help, but it's a start."

"Nice try, kid." Jason muttered to Donny and Zeke chuckled at them.

But you wouldn't think those were the only ones having a good time, were you? Because it doesn't end here just yet. From up on their corner of the roof, Sharpay and Ryan were looking down at the sight and watching what had happened. They were slightly in disbelief but they didn't seem in as much shock as the others were. Ryan looked a bit more confused than Sharpay did. He kept looking back and forth between them and his sister. What he kept noticing was Sharpay's look and how down she seemed. He raised an eyebrow and finally decided to see what was up.

"Why the long face Shar?"

Sharpay shook her head and faced Ryan.

"Can you believe this, Ryan?" she replied. "After everything we went through look what we're left with. We're stuck on the roof of the stupid castle we never wanted to come near again."

"don't you mean that you never wanted to come near again?" he inquired.

"Not the point." Sharpay shook her head right away. "My arch nemesis gets the guy and gets the happy ending. Those weird object thingies that were attacking before get to be humans. And they're all having the time of their lives down there. And what do we get? Nothing."

Ryan waited a moment before deciding to speak again.

"That's not entirely true. I got a date with Kelsi." he admitted.

"Oh goody for you." Sharpay rolled her eyes. But something was still bothering her just a bit. "Why did you come at that Beast with a sword before anyway?"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

"You're my sister. You were in trouble and I was worried about you. I really thought he was gonna bite your head off."

"So you would've slashed his head off?" Sharpay wondered.

"Well, not really." Ryan confessed. "But I would try to scare him away from you."

Sharpay couldn't help but giggle. She knew that there was no way Ryan could scare anyone or anything. Weapon or no weapon. But at least he tried and he cared. That's what's important. And right now Sharpay was just glad she still had someone by her side. and she was even more glad that that someone was her twin brother.

"Thanks Ry."

They exchanged a smile and then hugged. Sharpay broke out of the hug first and stood up.

"Come on. Let's get down from here."

But Ryan didn't seem so sure.

"Sharpay I really don't think you should be standing on the edge like that. It doesn't look sturdy enough."

"Oh relax Ryan. I can handle myself. I'm not gonna fall off the roof." Sharpay giggled and rolled her eyes at his naivety.

And wouldn't you know it, but the next thing she knew there was a faint cracking sound. Sharpay looked down and saw there was a small crack forming on the area of the roof she was standing on. Then seconds later she was falling down. But no, it wasn't to the ground she was falling. Because just as she had fallen off the roof, and was coincidentally falling towards the balcony, Zeke had a big smile on his face and his arms out side, showing how excited for all of this he was - yet he had no idea that there was someone falling in his direction.

"This is the happiest day of my life! Can this get any better?"

And that's exactly when Sharpay suddenly fell into his arms. Zeke's eyes widened as he caught her without even realizing it and that he was now standing with a girl in his arms. Oh, and a very pretty girl at that.

"Oh mon Dou, it has gotten better!" he gasped.

Sharpay's eyes widened now realizing that she was not only in the arms of a guy and had her arms wrapped around his neck, but a really cute looking guy...who had also happened to save her from going splat. She was almost flustered by this. And Sharpay does not get flustered...at least not that easily.

"Um...good catch..." she breathed, surprised at her loss for words.

Jason's eyes widened as well as he saw this.

"Oh man, now women are falling from the sky?" he gasped. "My turn, my turn!" He ran out further onto the balcony, ironically right under where Ryan was on the other part of the roof, and had his arms out wide and his eyes closed, expecting a girl to fall into his arms. But that wasn't the case. That was when Ryan suddenly lost his balance on the roof and - no, he didn't fall into Jason's arms - but he did fall on_to_ Jason. Jason gasped as he fell to the floor with Ryan on top of him, both on their bellies and their arms spread out.

Ryan sighed with relief, knowing that it could have been a nasty fall...even if it wasn't from that high up.

"Thanks for the save."

But Jason only sighed with disappointment. No women falling from the sky for him.

"It's not that day."

Boi just wagged his tail and barked happily as he watched this. Zeke chuckled as he watched the hyper little dog.

"It looks like this story's wrapping up nicely for everyone."

Gabriella smiled and nodded. She put an arm around her brother, never thinking that everyone could look this happy again. Gabriella then switched her gaze to Chad and Taylor, who looked like they couldn't agree more. Chad was so happy he lifted Taylor in his arms and spun her around. Gabriella tried to keep herself calm, but it didn't work for long, because she automatically started squealing with delight again and trying to keep herself still. Everyone was so thrilled and lively and she was just overjoyed by all of this and couldn't be happier that this was a happy ending after all.

"It's a miracle!"

* * *

Ok a fourth of that I wrote when I was supposed to be studying for an art history quiz...which I did, but I wrote the beginning of this chapter first...and the rest I typed up all tonight. I do not know yet when the next chapter will be up, but for all you guys who have seen the movie you know that this isn't the end of the movie just yet. I really hope I did this chapter justice because it was probably one of the most magical and epic scenes in a Disney movie. I attempted to customize the transformation for Chad/Beast (or I guess now, just Chad) but I was also trying to make it sound like it was also what was going on in the actual movie. And most importantly, we all know not to call him Beast anymore. lol In the movie we never really do learn the Beast's name. I think that his real name is either Adam, or just most people assume it's Adam. So here we had to know the Beast's real name...and let's be honest, we knew what it was already. lol And of course, we finally see the big romantic-y part between Chad and Taylor we've been waiting to see. Cause I'm pretty sure it was just as big in the movie. And yes, I had to add humor in there with Jason and Donny. Some of that I made up on the spot, but other parts I was planning from the beginning. Like I was always planning for Sharpay to 'fall off the roof' and then be caught by Zeke and then have Jason assuming it was going to start raining girls. I thought that'd be cute and funny. And I couldn't remember if I was thinking to have Ryan fall on Jason or have Boi jump on Jason and start licking him, but I thought it'd be a little funnier if Ryan fell on Jason. Plus, Boi could always lick him in the next chapter. xD So that should now do it here. Like I said, I do not know when the next chapter will be up. But at the end, the chapter will also have a picture I'm drawing of most of the characters. I'm sorry to say that not everyone will fit on the page but I do have 6 characters drawn so far (and I know you guys can name at least two of them 0=)) and I'm going to try and fit in 6 more if possible. I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to read your responses to it. Stay tuned for technially the conclusion of the story, but be sure to stay tuned for credits and a special bonus feature. ^_^


	24. Chapter 23

Here we have it, the last official chapter. And then come the credits and the little bonusy type thing with the music. XD so here in this chapter you will see the results of the first question I asked you guys, meaning should Sharpay hook up with Troy or Zeke. I mentioned this to some of you guys, but the reason I was asking was because I didn't know if I should go with the unexpected that no one saw coming or if we should go with basically who Sharpay is paired up with or who might be her perfect match. Technically speaking I guess she looks good next to either one of them. XD Yeah, going a little crazy up here. I'm also a little ticked because this show that I really got into, The Beautiful Life, was canceled after only 2 episodes. I'm debating if I should start a fanfiction about the series or anything because they really didn't have enough time to fully flesh out the characters so it would be a lot harder to get into their minds and write about them, you know? But I'm also excited because Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are officially in theaters for two weeks, and then Corbin Bleu's new movie Free Style is in theaters which I so wanna see. So now, let's get through this written movie type thing. XD Once again, thank you to all the wonderful people who have reviewed this story...while I will say next chapter but right now let me just say thank you to who reviewed last chapter: ActingPrincess, Rockyshadow, Anothersmallperson, Seabreezylady18, Chaylorxtraylorlover101, and Mzwendy85. Glad you guys enjoyed the last scene. And now I present to you...-dramatic drum roll- the epilogue!  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

"Well, well, well, don't you look sharp today, master?"

Chad turned from his mirror to see Zeke standing almost directly behind him. "Zeke for the fifth time, no more 'master' business." he chuckled.

"It's a force of habit." Zeke shrugged. 'At least it will be easier to convince most of us not to call you 'master' than had to follow you around the castle everywhere he went."

"And then Boi would follow right behind him. I remember that." Chad said. He turned back to the mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Hey Zeke...what should I do with my hair?"

Zeke rubbed his chin. "I say tie it back. Much easier to handle that way."

"good call." Chad agreed as he picked up a rubber band. Since everything had mostly returned to normal, everyone has had a major turn-around. Well, except for Jason. Let's face it, the castle would never be the same if he stopped clowning around. It hadn't even been that long since the curse had been lifted. Chad wasn't even the only person that changed around there. Tiara had some new competition around the castle, mainly Sharpay. Sharpay claimed that since she had lived in such a fancy place in the village and had plenty of maids, she knew how Tiara's job was done better than Tiara did. And let's face it, Sharpay was nowhere near a pack rat. If she wouldn't be so insulted being hired as a maid, she would probably take the job. Then again, she had already cleaned around the castle plenty without consent - or arguments, for that matter. The girl was very persuasive. That Kelsi girl had really come out of her shell. Working with Martha and befriending a number of workers around there, she had practically gotten a whole new look. Much more sophisticated and...well, kind of girlie. In a good way, of course. Kelsi and Martha were now like a perfect music team, where Kelsi would play on the piano and Martha would do the dance moves. And then of course, leave it to Ryan to jump in or come up with some snazzy attire for no apparent reason. People like them around actually made the castle feel more lively. Much better than it had in years. It especially lifted Chad's spirits and made him look at everything in a whole new light. Call it a bonus, if you will.

Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Remind me again why Taylor and I are dancing in the ballroom in front of everyone today?"

"Because it wouldn't be a fairy tale happy ending without the prince and princess dancing in front of everyone while the screen fades to back and there's big background music that just sings 'happily ever after'." Zeke said with a goofy grin, probably because everyone knew it was true. But Chad just smiled and rolled his eyes. He could hear the drums after a bad joke going in his head.

"Remind people that during the next Disney movie." he joked.

"Alright, but we would be on hold with those people for a long time." Zeke sighed.

"I was joking, Zeke." Chad said.

"I knew that." Zeke replied quickly.

Jason then entered the room and cleared his throat. "The castle awaits."

"I'll meet everyone in the ballroom." Chad answered. "Except for Taylor. I'll meet her in the main room."

"I'll let the party know." Jason said. "do you think I can get them to bring maracas, too? It's not really a party without maracas."

"And don't forget the balloons, too. And the funny clown with a big red nose." Zeke added jokingly, which got both him and Chad laughing.

Jason raised an eyebrow and looked at them. "Hey...are you guys mocking me?"

"Never." Chad shook his head quickly. "Absolutely not."

"Oh." Jason said. "Well ok then." he shrugged rather cheerfully. He was about to head out when he turned back to Chad. "Oh, and master? One more thing?"

Chad tried his best not to let out a sigh. "Does it involve calling me something other than 'master'?" Really, after going by that for three years when looking like a hideous beast, it got really old. Besides that was the old Chad. He didn't even want to be called something like 'your majesty' anymore. Alright, maybe 'your highness' but only because that sounded less fancy.

"Well...no. But we could call you something like..." Jason paused to think for a minute, "...retsam."

Chad stared blankly at Jason and scrunched his nose. "Jay.... That's master spelled backwards."

"No it isn't." Jason lied.

"Yes it is." Chad nodded.

"No it isn't." Jason replied.

"Martha and Kelsi are having a cat fight over you." Chad responded.

"Oh, that would be exciting to watch!" Jason exclaimed. He started running out and Zeke looked at Chad, but before either of them could say anything, Jason ran right back in. "Hey, wait a minute...there aren't any catfights are there?"

And they were so close to losing Jason, too. Too bad, and they were going to be late now too.

"You know, you're right." Chad sighed. "It was just Boi and Jimmie playing tug of war with your favorite shirt."

"Not my ducky shirt!" Jason gasped before rushing out.

The boys waited until Jason was completely out of earshot before bursting out laughing. It was just so hard to resist. But there was no need to worry. Jason would soon figure it out and be on his way to the ballroom with the others before they even knew it. And Chad had to admit, playing harmless jokes was much more fun than ordering everyone around. Hey, at least no one had stolen anyone's clothes and made them run around the castle looking for them wearing nothing but a towel.

"That was a good one, mast-um, Chad." Zeke said as his chuckles died down. "Do you mind if I used that one on him?"

"By all means." Chad answered. "I'm gonna finish getting ready."

"I'll let your mademoiselle know." Zeke said before walking out.

Chad turned back to his mirror and attempted to finish getting ready. It wasn't too long after that there was a knock on the door. Chad turned to see Troy standing in the doorway.

"Um...do I just come in or do I have to do something first?" Troy asked, scratching his head. "I don't really know how it works here yet."

"Just come on in." Chad offered. He stood up and straightened his jacket a little. "What's up man?"

"Just thought I'd drop by." Troy replied as he walked in.

"Great, great." Chad said. "Hey uh...you're not still mad about the whole me throwing you into the carriage thing are you?"

"Nah." he shook his head. "All in the past."

"Or taking you prisoner for sitting in my chair?" Chad asked.

"Water under the bridge." he answered.

"Or taking your sister hostage instead of you?" Chad asked almost nervously.

"Did you do anything to her?" Troy replied suspiciously.

"No." he shook his head, which was pretty much true.

"Then I'm over it." Troy shrugged his shoulders.

"Or-" Chad started again, but Troy interrupted him.

"Dude, I get it." he laughed. "you're sorry."

"Ok, that's a good way to sum it all up." Chad said.

"Just remember, that's my little sister you'll be walking around with. You better treat her right. And I'll be living under the same roof so I'll know." Troy replied.

"No worries." he shook his head. "I know I've got a great girl and I'm not gonna go and mess it up. I'll make sure to treat her right."

"That's all I want." Troy said simply.

"So does that mean we're cool?" Chad wondered.

"About as cool as a royal guy and a farm guy can get." Troy joked.

Chad laughed along with him and they hit high fives. It was amazing how after everything was said and done, the boys could get along so well. They had really hit it off, actually.

"So is Taylor ready down there?" Chad asked.

"As far as I know." Troy said. "When I left, she and Gabriella were talking girl stuff. Not my thing."

"Tell me about it." Chad agreed. "Zeke, Jason, and Gabriella are like the three musketeers and I wonder how they dealt with Gabs' girl problems all these years."

"Speaking of Gabriella..." he started.

Chad folded his arms and raised an eyebrow, looking at Troy expectantly.

"Is she single?" Troy finished, almost with a squeak in his voice.

Chad just stared at him for a moment. Then a few seconds later he just laughed and shook his head. "Dream on, Troy. You want the girl, you gotta get through her brother first." He continued laughing as he headed out of the room. "You and Gabriella. C'mon man, it'll never work."

Troy folded his arms. "I tell him to go for it with my own sister, and when I ask him about one of the girls in here he laughs at me. What's so funny about me?" he gasped. "When have I even done or said one funny thing this entire story?"

---

Chad made his way down the main staircase. Almost the entire area was deserted, probably because everyone else was already in the ballroom. So it was even easier for him to catch sight of Taylor, who had looked like she was actually waiting patiently at the foot of the steps for him. And even Chad was able to tell that she was an impatient person. But what better way to make it up to her than to show her even more of his charm than she had already seen?

Smiling and adjusting his jacket a tad more, he walked over to Taylor. "Excuse me, miss, but you look much too pretty to be my girlfriend."

Taylor rolled her eyes as she turned to him. "It's always about looks with you."

"Oh, you've got jokes now." he teased playfully.

"Actually, I do." Taylor nodded. "I think Jason's rubbing off on me."

Chad pretended to sound insulted as he linked arms with Taylor and they headed towards the ballroom.

"You think Jason's funnier than me?"

"Jealous?" she giggled.

"Who, me? Nah." Chad lied shaking his head.

She shook her head and playfully nudged him.

"Hey, you're talking to the guy who told Jason my dog and your horse were playing tug of war with his shirt full of ducks." Chad told her.

"tug of war with Jason's shirt? Really now, is that the best you could come up with?" she replied.

"Hey it got him out of the room." Chad shrugged.. "By the way, I didn't stay in there keeping you waiting too long was I?"

"Not at all. I had Gabriella to keep me company for a bit." Taylor answered. "I think she wants me to set her up with Troy."

"I got the same thing." Chad said. "It's not gonna happen."

"Well, they might look cute together." Taylor stated, emphasizing the word 'might'.

"Well, might or no might there's not gonna be any matchmaking playing today." he said. They stopped near the ballroom and Chad turned to her. "Cause it's not gonna be Troy and Gabriella in there dancing. It's gonna be us. Today's all about me and you."

"I could get into that." Taylor said with a smile.

"Good, because I think I need some more reading lessons." Chad smiled as he moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"Is the library still technically mine?" Taylor inquired.

"It's so yours, I'm considering putting a plaque on the door with your name on it." Chad replied resting his forehead against hers.

"I think we can arrange a little lesson there tonight." Taylor grinned wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Chad smiled as he kissed her, which she easily returned.

"So is it just a reading lesson you want, or...?" Taylor asked once they pulled apart.

"Maybe a few kissing lessons, too." Chad admitted.

"I'll see what we can arrange, but I think I'll have to get back to you on that." Taylor teased.

"You're such a sneak." Chad chuckled as he lifted her up and spun her around.

The next thing both of them knew, they were in the middle of the ballroom. Their arms were around each other and everyone was just watching them. After a brief yet passionate kiss, the music started and the couple started happily waltzing around the room.

Zeke sighed contently as he watched the two of them. "Ah, l'amour."

Seconds later, Tiara walked slowly by him with a feather duster in her hand wearing what is a typical maid's outfit, though with her own touch of Britain to it. She smirked towards Zeke, which almost had him chasing after her. Just a typical guy reaction, in most cases. But Zeke hadn't gotten too far, because just as quickly as Tiara appeared by him, Sharpay appeared right nearby. Sharpay tapped Zeke on the shoulder, causing him to turn towards her.

"I don't believe I ever got to thank you for catching me before." was the best Sharpay could think of to say to him. It was a bit ironic, actually. Sharpay spent all her time catching guys' eyes and always knew what to say to them. Now she had even more of a reason to talk to a guy and it felt awkward. Was that supposed to happen?

But Zeke was all the more happy to talk to her. "It was my pleasure, mademoiselle." he almost blurt out as though he were trying to impress her.

"Wow, polite, gentlemanly, and you know how to work a French accent." Sharpay stated, clearly impressed with him. Not to mention strong, obviously, or else he wouldn't have been able to catch her or hold her easily. And he looked like the kind of guy to give a lot of compliments. What was next to make him perfect? He bakes her favorite foods whenever she desires?

"Well, it is what I do." Zeke chuckled, almost nervously. It was working, he was winning her over! "By the way, we were never properly introduced. Monsieur Baylor, at your service." He gently took her hand and placed a kiss on it.

Sharpay nodded and smiled. Was it getting hot in there or was it her imagination?

"Call me Sharpay." she responded.

"Lovely name, mademoiselle." Zeke complimented. "Perhaps maybe later I can bake you some cookies. How do you feel about chocolate chip with a pinch of cinnamon?"

Somebody pinch her, this guy was perfect! "I love cookies."

But of course, with Sharpay and Tiara already having started on a bad foot, Tiara couldn't have Sharpay muffling in on Zeke now could she? Scoffing, she made her way over.

"I like cookies too, Zeke." she said.

Now Sharpay was the one to scoff. "Excuse me Miss Britain's Got No Cleaning Talent, but I believe he was talking to me."

"You couldn't even tell a feather duster from an ink pen." Tiara retorted. "Find your own man, this one's taken."

"And you wouldn't know dust from mud." Sharpay folded her arms.

"Well, you only want Zeke because I have him." Tiara replied.

"Oh, likely story." Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Guys, guys," Martha sighed as she got between the two girls, "there is no need to fight over a guy. Besides I'm sure there's a much calmer way to settle this."

"Like an all out cat fight?" Jason joked.

"Actually I was thinking Rock Paper Scissors. A lot less violent." Kelsi stated as she tilted her head, having her uptight hairdo leave a few bangs in her face.

"Well, I was going to say a dance off, but Rock Paper Scissors sounds a lot better." Martha said.

"Or you could let Zeke decide." Ryan offered as he walked over with Boi in his arms.

"Wait a minute, you want me to choose between two blond, pretty, fiesty, musically gifted girls?" Zeke's eyes widened. How was he supposed to do that?

"Well you know," Donny chuckled as he walked by on his way towards finding Gabriella, "I'm always available. You know where my room is." He smiled at the girls, then spun around and went off to find his sister.

Sharpay giggled. "Have fun with, little dusty girl. I'm sure someone your own age is much more in your league anyway." She told Tiara before standing beside Zeke.

Tiara scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'd rather date the dog than that boy."

Boi panted happily and wagged his tail eagerly. Tiara noticed this and shook her head.

"I was being sarcastic." she added, which had the dog sighing and just resting in Ryan's arms.

"So, about those cookies later..." Sharpay started to Zeke.

"Wait, there's cookies?" Ryan gasped. "I want some, too."

"Well you can't. Zeke said he's baking cookies for me." Sharpay told him.

"But I love cookies." Ryan said.

"Well I love them more." Sharpay replied.

Ok no way was Zeke going to get in the middle of a cookie debate. He cooked treats, not trouble.

"If you guys will excuse me." he said before trying to walk away while the twins had their cookie disagreement. But then, did you really think Zeke would get too far? Not a chance.

"Well now that this is all settled..." Jason said as he eagerly shook hands with Zeke, having the poor guy even more confused now, "...how about everything that happened to us all this time, we just let bygones be bygones?"

Zeke chuckled. Now that, he understood. "But of course, mon ami." he grinned playfully patting Jason on the back. "After all, I did tell you that our girl would break the spell."

"Yes, you did tell me that-" Jason nodded, but then cut himself off quickly. "Hey wait a minute, no you didn't. I told you that Taylor would break the spell!"

"You've got it all backwards, Jay. I distinctly remember telling you she would break the spell." Zeke replied.

"You didn't tell me anything like that, you crazy burnt candle thingy!" Jason gasped. He pulled out a white glove and whacked Zeke with it.

"Oh so it's going down like that is it you skinny excuse for a clock?" Zeke retorted as he pulled out a white glove of his own and used it on Jason.

The two then began going back and forth with their minor little slap fight. Jack, who was standing in close enough distance to watch them, just raised an eyebrow.

"Where do these guys get all those white gloves from?" he asked himself.

Donny made his way over to Gabriella as Chad and Taylor danced by her and Troy. Gabriella turned to her brother and raised an eyebrow.

"Donny where have you been?"

"Hitting on Tiara and watching Jason and Zeke beat each other up with gloves." he answered.

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Do they do that a lot?" he asked Gabriella.

Gabriella shrugged. "You get used to it." She then turned back to her brother, "Now why were you hitting on Tiara?"

"Cause she's cute and I'm not allowed to hit on Taylor anymore." Donny answered. He tilted his head towards Troy, "By the way, you got anymore sisters?"

Gabriella gasped. "Donny don't bother Troy!"

"Um...just the one. Sorry, bro." Troy told Donny trying to keep his cool. Wow this was a weird castle. Why Taylor liked it here, he'll never know.

"Oh man." Donny sighed, clearly disappointed.

Wait, while Donny's sulking this would be the perfect time for Troy to make his move. He'll show everyone he can't goof up. He can so ask Gabriella out!

"So, Gabriella...." he said as casually as possible even though it sounded nowhere near casual, ".... You got a boyfriend?"

Gabriella blushed and tried not to giggle. But before she could answer, Donny had to step in.

"Hey back off the sis, one gets to her without going through me."

"Donny!" Gabriella gasped again. She turned to Troy, trying to act as sweet and innocent as possible. Besides, if she didn't then combined with Donny, Troy would so be scared off. "No, I don't have a boyfriend." she said quickly.

"Yes she does." Donny lied.

Gabriella tried her best to keep a straight face. "Donny, don't you have a script to stick to? You have lines that aren't these." she said through her best smile yet with gritted teeth.

"I can't say my lines when some dude's hitting on me sis. So not cool." Donny folded his arms.

There was silence between the three of them for a minute before Gabriella's head snapped back to Troy.

"So you got a girlfriend?" she asked quickly.

Troy shook his head and just as he said 'no', Donny let out a loud, "Oh c'mon!"

Well then if Donny wouldn't say his lines, Troy could improvise. "So...does this mean we're gonna live happily ever after like our best friends out there?"

"I think so." Gabriella nodded with a smile.

Donny raised an eyebrow and looked at them confused. Not even realizing that this was his cue to say his line, he just asked what was on his mind.

"Wait...does that mean I still have to sleep in the cupboard?"

Troy and Gabriella shared a laugh and the ballroom looked completely calm, everyone's eyes then going on Chad and Taylor dancing together in the middle of the room. And as they all shared their typical fairy tale happily ever after just like every other story did, a harmonious chorus could be heard in the closing on the scene.

_Certain as the sun_

_Rising in the East_

_Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast_

_Tale as old as time_

_Song as old as rhyme_

_Beauty and the Beast_

* * *

Done, done, and done! Ok, for the most part cause you guys know there's 2 minor chapters left right? XD Well not for the story, but just kinda bonus type things.... Anyway I wrote the first a/n on here weeks ago and have just been too lazy to change it and write something else (so yes, that means I saw the Toy Story movies already which was awesome but a real pain in the butt. Try wearing 3D glasses over regular glasses. I mean, it's all worth it but it just ends with a big headache, you know?). The entire rest of this chapter, written in between my piles of homework for the weekend. And after this story is done, until winter break, the only story I'll probably update is my Classic Disney meets New Disney one. Speaking of which, if you guys are wondering if I'm writing anymore Disney Princess stories like this, I do not know yet. I mean, I do have 1 or 2 ideas and already eliminated 2 princess stories (Cinderella because with all the remakes of the storyline it can be made to fit any of the HSM girls, and Snow White because if I couldn't watch the movie as a kid I probably can't watch it and write a whole story based on it now). But if you want, i can continue this Disney Princess idea into the next a/n and say what ideas I would have if I were to write any, which I don't know if I will. Now, as for THIS story (lol), I hope it had a very nice happy ending feel to it. And knowing me, I had to put a lot of humor into it. Like with the whole part with Zeke that he was in and Ryan and Sharpay arguing over cookies...c'mon, you all saw the first HSM right? Ryan happily took Zeke's cookies and everyone knows Sharpay loves Zeke's cookies. It seemed like such a cute idea. And I actually liked writing the Troy and Gabriella part, which is so weird for me cause you guys know I'm all about Chad and Taylor, but I think I liked it this time cause it's not a scene you think would happen between Troy and Gabriella. So I think that makes it kinda unique. But you can definitely see that they end up together, if not then see the really strong hints that they do. Same thing with Sharpay and Zeke. And yes, parts of the ending of Beauty and the Beast has been incorporated in here only made longer. Had to add more funny, had to add in more Chad and Taylor, and really wanted to flesh it all out and make it a good ending. So let me know what you guys think, can't wait to hear from you, and I really hope you have enjoyed reading this because believe me, I had so much fun writing it. ^_^


	25. Credits

If i haven't said it or implied before, I'm really really sorry you guys had to wait so long for sort of one measly chapter. I've been busy with tons of homework and didn't have the most free time for writing. In my few breaks however, i did add a chapter of Classic Disney Meets New Disney, and in between my classes at school I've been hard at work writing another new fanfiction story loosely based off of a roleplay I'm doing with one of my friends. Check it out on my list of stories which is on my profile. Yeah, just scroll down to where it says future stories. Anyway let's move onto the credits, shall we? This is to thank the people who made HSM and Beauty and the Beast possible. Ok, most of the people. It also features the song "Human Again" and you know how sometimes during credits there's little animations of the characters? It's just like that here. But everyone's going to be in their little enchanted forms. And with the characters, we have the actors from HSM first and then the voice talents of the original B&B characters underneath them. Now to wrap it up and let you guys scooch through the credits before getting to the super special bonus feature, this is just so you know which is which:  
Underline is the credits and yes, each line will say who's credited for which film (HSM will be credited for people from all 3 movies),  
**Bold** is the song lyrics, and  
_Italics_ is the little actions that all the characters do like dancing and everything. So pretend these are credits, watch the dancing objects, finish that popcorn, and be merry! ^^  
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Stay tuned after the credits for our bonus feature

**I'll be cooking again, be good looking again**

_Zeke appears in the left corner of the screen flipping a pancake in a pan_

**With a mademoiselle on each arm**

_Tiara and Gabriella appear and Zeke slips his arm around both of them_

Directed by:

**When I'm human again, only human again  
Poised and polished and gleaming with charm**

_The girls escape Zeke and he confidently polishes one of his candelabra arms_

Kenny Ortega  
Gary Trousdale  
Kirk Wise

**I'll be counting again  
Chic and sporting again**

_Zeke shows off his muscles_

Produced by:

**Which should cause sev'ral usands alarm!**

_Gabriella makes her way back onto the screen and lightly shoves Zeke behind the credits_

Don Schain  
Bill Boreden  
Don Hahn

**I'll hop down the shelf  
And toute suite be myself**

_Donny jumps onto the screen and onto one of Zeke's hands  
Zeke pops out from behind the credits_

**I can't wait to be human again**

_Donny slides to the other side and off the screen, Gabriella hops after him, and Zeke shortly follows_

Written by:

**When we're human again  
Only human again**

_Martha starts a conga line coming back onto the screen with Tiara behind her, and Gabriella catches up to them_

**When we're knickknacks and whatnots no more  
Little push, little shove  
They'll couch and fall in love**

_Donny joins in on the conga line  
As they all leave the other side of the screen, Martha comes back on and spins around_

Peter Barsocchini  
Linda Woolverton

**Ah Cherie, won't it all be top-drawer  
I'll wear lipstick and rouge  
And I won't be so huge**

_Martha pulls out lipstick and tries putting it on along with a furry scarf_

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures

**Why I'll easily fit through that door  
I'll exude savior-faire**

_Martha walks behind the credits like she's going through a door_

With the voice talents/acting styling of:

**I'll wear gowns!  
I'll have hair!  
It's my prayer to be human again**

Corbin Bleu  
Robby Benson

**When I'm human again  
Only human again  
When the world once more making sense**

Monique Coleman  
Paige O'Hara

_Jason comes up and pulls out a pillow, then lays down with his head on it_

**I'll unwind for a change**

Ashley Tisdale  
Richard White

_Zeke jumps up from behind and accidentally dumps a bucket of cold water on Jason_

**Really? That'd be strange!**

Chris Warren Jr  
Jerry Orbach

**Can I help it if I'm t-t-tense?**

_Jason sits up freezing and shivering_

Vanessa Hudgens  
Angela Lansbury

**In a shack by the sea  
I'll sit back sipping tea  
Let my early retirement commence**

_Jason manages to push Zeke off the screen and fluffs up his pillow to relax some more_

Ryne Sanborn  
David Ogden Stiers

**Far from fool made of wax  
I'll get down to brass tacks and relax**

_Jimmie sticks his head out over Jason and starts sniffing Jason's head as Jason tries to go to sleep_

Justin Martin  
Bradely Pierce

**When I'm human again  
So sweep the dust from the floor!  
Let's get some light in the room!**

Lucas Grabeel  
Jesse Corti

**I can feel, I can tell  
Someone might break the spell  
Any day now!**

_Jimmie jumps as he sees mops and brooms doing a conga line from behind him and dancing across the screen  
They wake up Jason from his sleep and he looks all around once the brooms and mops are gone_

Zac Efron  
Rex Everhart

**Shine up the brass on the door!  
Alert the dust pail and the broom!**

_Zeke and Tiara ballroom dance behind the brooms and mops  
When Zeke spins Tiara, she accidentally knocks Jason onto the ground head first_

Kaycee Stroh  
Jo Anne Worley

**If all goes as planned  
Our time may be at hand  
Any day now!**

Jemma McKenzie-Brown  
Kimmy Robertson

**Open the shutters and let in some air**

_Gabriella jumps off some of the credits as they move up the screen  
She lightly shoes Jimmie off and then moved Jason onto the credits so he was moving up off the screen with them_

Olesya Rulin  
Tony Jay

**Put these here and put those over there**

"_Hey, what are you doing? Get me down from here! AH!" Jason gasps as he disappears off the top of the screen_

Tanya Chisholm  
Kelli Baker  
McCall Clark

**Sweep up the years  
Of sadness and tears  
And throw them away!**

Mary Kay Bergman  
Kath Soucie

_Gabriella giggles and when Jimmie walks back on, she jumps onto his back and they walk out_

Matt Prokop  
Hal Smith

**When we're human again  
Only human again  
When the girl fin'lly sets us all free**

_All the little tea cups start jumping around in a circle like they're dancing_

Manly Ortega  
Frank Welker

**Cheeks bloomin' again  
We're assumin' again  
We'll resume out long lost joie de vie**

_Boi jumps in the middle of the circle wagging his tail and starts barking_

Bart Johnson  
Brian Cummings

**We'll be playin' again**

Cameo appearance by Corbin Bleu (chapter 19)**  
**

**Holiday' again**

_The tea cups laugh and all run off with Boi still barking  
Donny somehow climbs onto Boi's back and starts riding him_

Art Director:

**And we're prayin' it's ASAP  
When we cast off this pall  
We'll stand straight, we'll walk tall**

Brian McEntee

_Marta comes from the opposite side of the screen doing some hip-hop moves in clothes from her wardrobe_

**When we're all that we were  
Thanks to him, thanks to her**

_Zeke and Gabriella are both trying to dance, each with a respective picture of Chad and Taylor_

**Coming closer and closer  
And closer and…**

Artistic Supervisors:

**We'll be dancing again!  
We'll be twirling again!  
We'll be whirling around with such ease**

Roger Allers  
Ed Ghertner  
Lisa Keene  
Vera Lanpher  
Randy Fullmer  
Jim Hillin

_Tiara comes out with her feather duster friends as they all start spinning in circles  
Jack pops out of nowhere holding spoons and banging them on his stove like drums_

**When we're human again  
Only human again**

Choreographed by:  
Kenny Ortega  
Charles Klaypow  
Bonnie Story

**We'll go waltzing those old one-two-threes**

_Jimmie eagerly jumps into the middle, blocking some of the credits  
He stomps his hooves like he's trying to dance_

Music By:

**We'll be floating again!  
We'll be gliding again!**

_Now all of the enchanted objects, minus Jason, are on screen dancing_

Andy Dodd  
Fey Greenburg  
Jamie Houston  
David Lawrence  
Matt Gerrard  
Drew Seeley  
Robbie Nevil

**Stepping, striding as fine as you please  
Like a real human does**

_They're all in straight lines now, the shortest in front and tallest in back  
They start doing some of the moves to the Cha Cha Slide_

Alan Menken  
Howard Ashman: "...who gave a mermaid her voice, and a beast his soul."

**I'll be all that I was  
On that glorious morn  
When we're fin'lly reborn**

_The enchanted objects all switch to doing the can-can_

Thanks to Fcktherulesx3 for helping with character casting

**And we're all of us human again!**

Thanks to all those who reviewed:  
Corbinsbygrl1  
Rockyshadow  
Fcktherulesx3  
Chaylorxtraylorlover101  
ChaylorTwilightQueen10  
Digigirl02  
RamandusDaughter23  
MermaidRam85  
xXMXx  
Ryle  
ActingPrincess  
Coornique chaylor girl  
Mzwendy85  
Seabreezylady18  
Anothersmallperson  
Hsm3  
Creativelyyourz  
Troyellaluver  
VaanarsRule  
HSM

_They all end by facing the middle diagonally from the opposite sides as the final credit rolls up  
The screen then goes blank and Jason falls down to the floor screaming until he hits his head first  
"Ow…" he groans sitting up and rubbing his head. Then he looks around and moans…  
"Is the song over already?"_

* * *

**http :// img5 .image shack. us/ img5 /5403 /characters i. jpg** – There is the picture of the cast! Or most of them anyway. XD From left to right and row to row we have: Ryan, Donny, Tiara, Sharpay, Troy, Taylor, Chad, Zeke, Kelsi, Gabriella, Martha, and Jason. With a lack of homework this weekend I was finally able to draw the last two, do this chapter, write the next one, and ultimately finish this story! ^^ Again, I'm sorry I had to make you guys wait so long. I really hope you're still interested enough to see these last two chapters for the story. And don't worry, I will start my next story soon enough! I just might do more Disney crossovers as I have a few ideas already. So if anyone's interested in discussing them or giving opinions and everything feel free to let me know…or I'll just start a forum somewhere. XD Now as for the credits, I know I didn't add everything in all credits have but I did want to thank some of the people who helped make HSM and Beauty and the Beast possible. And yes there was the song which you guys might have thought I wasn't going to use, but I did. 0=) You all don't have to review this chapter if you don't want to, but I won't stop you. Review all you want because I love opinions. C= Now who's ready for the last and final chapter of this story/movie?


	26. Beauty and the Beast

Here it is, the bonus chapter that you guys wanted to see! It's a music video-esque chapter of "Beauty and the Beast". Cause you know...it's not technically a video but it's got the music...yeah. Ok anyway I'll keep this a/n short so you can get to it. So if you guys think that it's Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron singing this song let me just take this opportunity to say.... WRONG! Who better to have sing this song than the two who star in the story? Yup, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman of course. Ok the song is technically sung by Celine Dion and Paebo Bryson, but it's the same song just with different people singing...ok you know, how about I just say what's what in this chapter and shut up? XD  
Ok so let me set the scene here. Not sure if this type of recording studio could exist, but let's say it can. The main recording studio is in the center with a microphone in the middle and the stands with the papers of lyrics and such. On the right and left there's a door on the wall and then a window so we can see into the smaller rooms. So those two rooms where Corbin and Monique would be starting out are like mini recording studios. Mo on the left, Corbin on the right.  
Now as to what's what with the bold and italics and everything.  
**Bold:** Monique  
**Bold Underline:** Corbin  
_**Bold Italics:**_ Both  
_Italics: _Movie scenes  
Regular: What they're doing in the recording studio  
Disclaimer: I don't own the song, the actors, the voices, or anything else that has anything to do with this music video like chapter.

* * *

_Shows scenery of the castle before the curse_

Switches to Monique in the recording studio

**Tale as old as time**

**True as it can be**

**Barely even friends**

_Taylor and the Beast bow or curtsy to each other as they prepare for the famous ballroom scene_

**Then somebody bends**

_Shows the castle after the curse_

**Unexpectedly**

We now see Corbin on his side

**Just a little change**

**Small to say the least**

**Both a little scared**

**Neither one prepared**

Corbin smiles and their voices join

**_Beauty and the Beast_**

**_Ever just the same_**

_Shows Taylor looking through the book store_

_Switches to the Beast showing her his library_

**_Ever a surprise_**

_Taylor starts looking around the West Wing and sees the portrait_

**_Ever as before_**

_She then tries to reattach the ripped piece_

**_Ever just as sure_**

The camera is behind Monique so we see her and then Corbin across the studio

They slowly raise their hands in a circular motion

**_As the sun will rise_**

_The Beast runs to Taylor's room and bangs on her door angrily_

_Shows him twitching in response to her and points to the door as he glares at his servants_

_Flashes of the scene between the Beast and wolves is shown_

Corbin opens the door from his studio to walk into the main one

Monique does the same thing from her end, entering from the opposite side

_Taylor is trying to heal the Beast after the wolf scene_

_The enchanted objects back away at the Beast's reaction when she puts the cloth on his arm_

_Then shows Taylor thanking him_

**Ooooooh**

**_Ever just the same_**

They are now in the same room standing opposite of each other singing into the microphone

**Ever a surprise**

_Taylor and the Beast are having their lunch together_

_The Beast is eating his very sloppily_

**_Ever as before_**

_Taylor looks away_

_Flashes to the Beast trying to use a spoon_

**Ever just as sure**

_Taylor then picks up her bowl and the Beast does the same_

**_As the sun will rise_**

_They then toast with the bowls before slurping from them_

**Tale as old as time**

_The Beast and Taylor are now outside; Taylor is feeding the birds_

**Tune as old as song**

_She gives some bird food to the Beast and the one bird hops into his paws eating it_

_The Beast smiles and then looks at Taylor when she touches his arm_

**_Bittersweet and strange_**

Corbin and Monique are now standing side by side as they share the microphone

His arm is around her and her hand is on his shoulder

The camera starts at Monique and slowly moves to Corbin, both as close-ups

**_Finding you can change_**

**_Learning you were wrong_**

They are standing in the same positions, now looking at each other

**Certain as the sun**

**(Certain as the sun)**

_Taylor is walking down the staircase in her ballgown_

**Rising in the East**

**Tale as old as time**

_The Beast is at the opposite end of the staircase, clearing his throat and adjusting his suit before walking down to meet Taylor_

**_Song as old as rhyme_**

**_Beauty and the Beast_**

_Shows Taylor smiling at the Beast, then the Beast doing the same thing_

**Tale as old as time**

Corbin and Monique are now smiling at each other

**Song as old as rhyme**

**_Beauty and the Beast_**

_The Beast is trying to eat his food without soiling his suit at their dinner with Zeke watching_

_Taylor then gets up and leads him into the ballroom_

**Oh oooh**

_They begin dancing around the ballroom_

_The Beast then takes the lead during their waltz_

_Switches to Donny making a face with Gabriella smiling as she watches_

_Zeke and Jason then hit a set of high fives_

_Shows Taylor and the Beast one more time as they dance_

End with Corbin's and Monique's faces inches apart with smiles as they finish the song

**_Beauty and the Beast_**

* * *

So that was my first time writing a music video. I've had this thing planned since the story started. Boy I just wish these two could've sang together moer. They sound so good together! Hopefully this was a good way to wrap the story up and, as usual, it turned out well. I hope you all have enjoyed this wonderful Disney crossover and thank you for the reviews, support, etc etc...I'm glad you all enjoyed it. ^^ I've already got a few character ideas for future Disney crossovers but I probably shouldn't promise too much when I have tons of homework. xD Anyway keep in touch, happy reading, and can't wait to hear from you all again. C=


End file.
